PHARMACAL PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE. 
49 
CHAPTER IV. 
THE NATIVE AND INTRODUCED MEDICINAL AND POISONOUS 
PLANTS OE CALIFORNIA, WITH INDEX TO 
COMMON NAMES. 
The list of medicinal and poisonous plants of California herein 
reported includes both native and introduced species and varieties. 
The list is not complete, as many of the more common introduced fruit 
trees, shrubs, weeds, garden- and pot-herbs having more or less medic- 
inal use are not cited, for the reason that they are almost universally 
known. 
Details regarding description of species are omitted, as this informa- 
tion can be found in any handbook on California flora. A fuller dis- 
cussion of the therapeutic use of well-known medicinal plants is also 
omitted, as that information can be obtained from any standard work 
on vegetable drugs, such as the United States, National, and other 
dispensatories, text-books on materia meclica, such as Maisch’s, Wall’s, 
Sayre’s, Culbreth’s, and others. An effort has been made to cite the 
popular medicinal uses of plants by Indians, early settlers, and the 
laity generally. With many of the plants mentioned, this is the only 
use known. A further careful study may put some of these to the use 
of medical practice. 
The literature cited with the plants mentioned will serve to readily 
obtain further information regarding range, properties, and use. Un- 
less otherwise stated, the plant cited is a native of the State. Some of 
the plants cited are of no practical value, but they are given in order to 
meet the request for information pertaining to them, which has come in 
from time to time. It may again be repeated that our knowledge of the 
properties of most of the native medicinal plants of California is very 
limited indeed. Some of them enjoy such a wide, popular use that they 
should be more thoroughly investigated chemically and therapeutically, 
in order that it may be ascertained upon what these reputed virtues 
depend. 
As will be observed, the plants are cited in alphabetical order, accord- 
ing to botanical names. In most instances, a mere mention of prop- 
erties and use must suffice. In fact, that is all the information that is 
necessary to give, as the fuller discussion can be found in the Dispen- 
satories and Text-books on Materia Medica, to which reference is made. 
The list of common names will be found convenient for reference. 
4 — BF 
