378 
THE GARDENING WORLD\ 
May 6, 1905. 
We may here state that the author classifies all 
these poisonous principles under seven headings, but 
each class may contain a large number of poisonous principles 
which receive separate names according to the plants which 
produce them and the peculiar way in which they are built up. 
A small quantity of these poisons may be distributed in a dilute 
condition over the plant, so that it would be relatively harm¬ 
less, but in other case® it is concentrated and stored chiefly in 
certain parts of the plant, which are therefore the most dan¬ 
gerous. 
Another class of poisons are grouped under the heading of 
inebriants—that is, plants which intoxicate. That doe® not. 
refer to any special artificial preparation from the plant, but 
to the natural products existing or stored up in the plants 
themselves. Under this heading w r e notice that the Larch 
and Clustered Pine are included. More interesting, perhaps, 
is the fact that the Wormwood and the seaside Wormwood 
belong to this group. Some of those who have travelled may 
remember the fondness of some Frenchmen for absinthe, a 
very dangerous class of intoxicating beverage if drunk in any 
quantity. That, however, is an artificial preparation, and wo 
know that our grandmothers grew Wormwood for the purpose 
of making decoctions as tonics or restoratives when the human 
system was out of order. We presume, therefore, that the 
poisonous principles in these plants are either weakly distri¬ 
buted through the plants, or, what is more likely, that their 
poisonous principles are largely dissipated when subjected to 
heat or boiling. 
Cinder the heading of depressants we note that Tobacco' is 
placed, as well as the Hemlock, the common Broom and several 
foreign plants, the symptoms for which are here given together 
with the treatment recommended. 
Another heading is asthenics, the symptoms of which are 
numbness, tingling in the mouth, vertigo, etc. Under this 
heading several plants of an interesting character are placed, 
as some of them are not attended with much danger under 
ordinary circumstances, but others are certainly dangerous to 
a high degree. For instance, in the Bitter Almond, as well as 
the Gean, Sloe, Plum, Peach and Apricot, we have prussic acid 
as the poisonous principle; but this is usually concentrated in 
the green and unripe parts of the plants, so that there is no 
danger whatever in eating the' ripe fruit, nor even the kernels 
of the Almond in ordinary quantity, at least. Under this head¬ 
ing various other well-known British plants are placed, includ¬ 
ing the Sorrel, Larkspur, Aconite, Winter Aconite, Foxglove, 
Lily of the Valley and Meadow Saffron. 
In this class also comes a large number of foreign plants, 
including the Oleander, the Upas tree, the Ordeal Bean, the 
Squill used in medicine, the White Hellebore, the common 
white Jasmine, and Manihot utilissima. The last named has 
a tuberous or fleshy rootstock containing a large quantity of 
starch, from which tapioca is prepared, but it also 1 contains a 
virulent poison in the fresh state, though its poison is entirely 
dissipated by heat in the preparation of the tapioca. 
A considerable number of British plants have purgative 
properties, and amongst them we notice the Elder, Dwarf 
Elder, Marsh Marigold, Purging Flax, Stinking Hellebore, and 
Green Hellebore. Amongst the foreign plants in this group 
are those plants from which the celebrated purgatives are 
obtained, known under the names of castor oil, croton oil, 
Jalap, etc. 
Irritants with nervous symptoms include such British plants 
as Fool’s Parsley, Water Hemlock, Water Dropwort, the Yew, 
Laburnum, Dog’s Mercury, etc. We may point out that about 
three years ago a boy lost his life by eating the fleshy roots of 
the Water Dropwort in mistake for Badishes on the banks of 
the Thames near Putney. The young seed-pods and the flowers 
of Laburnum are also rank poison and frequently cause 
mishaps amongst children and other unwary young people. 
Under the heading of simple irritants we find a large 
number of British plants are placed, including the Bluebell of 
England, Snake’s Head Fritillary, Wood Anemone, .Columbine, 
Traveller’s Joy, and several species of Buttercup. It is note¬ 
worthy also that both the Bed and Black Bryony are included 
under this heading, together with Privet," Leopard's Bane, 
Balsam, common Soapwort, Hound’s Tongue, Vervain, the 
Spindle Tree, Greater Celandine, the Coin Poppy, some of the 
'Stonecrops, the Sundew, the common Toadflax, Saffron, the 
Yellow Flag, and its cousin the other British Iris. We are 
surprised, however, to find some of the Crucifers under this 
heading, though botanists usually tell us that all of them are 
strictly not poisonous. The common Box, and nearly all of 
the British species of Euphorbia or Spurge are placed here, 
together with the British nettles. Strangely enough, the 
common Cress is included in this list, but the toxic principle 
is an acrid juice which we presume would have to be eaten in 
very large quantities to have any injurious effects. This state¬ 
ment also applies to other subjects used as condiments, includ¬ 
ing Chilies, black Pepper, Ginger, Horseradish, black and white 
Mustard. Usually, however, the eater of these things stops 
short while yet quite within the safe limit of eating. 
A Himalayan Primrose. 
(Primula denticulata alba grandiflora.) 
(See Supplement.) 
The Himalayas are practically one of the headquarters of the 
genus Primula in Asia, and many of them have been intro¬ 
duced to cultivation. Few of them have proved more useful 
or more easily cultivated, however, than P. denticulata and 
its varieties. Even although the plants cannot be considered 
long-lived in our climatic conditions, they are so easily raised 
from seeds that practically they offer no more difficulty 
in getting up a stock than would the ordinary Primrose or 
garden Polyanthus. 
The variety under notice is characterised by pure white 
flowers, produced in large dense, almost globular, umbels. 
As a variety, it may simply be regarded as a robust-growing 
form of the albino or white variety of P. denticulata. In 
many of the ordinary forms of the latter species the flowers 
are so thinly disposed as to form merely a flat umbel. The 
subject of our supplementary illustration is so much improved 
upon this that the flowers form a dense head, almost as com¬ 
pact as that of P. capitata itself. The spathulate leaves are 
light green, toothed on the margins and produced in a tuft or 
rosette, similar to those of the common Primrose. 
This species and its varieties are quite hardy in most parts 
of the country,' so that they should be planted upon the 
rockery, under which conditions they will flower in April. 
The chief difficulty with it in our climate is when a mild 
and moist autumn induces the newly made crowns to throw 
up their flower scapes in autumn, instead of resting till 
spring. In such cases the scapes are very vigorous, and if 
severe weather should follow not only may the flowers be 
destroyed, but they are liable to cause the plant itself to decay. 
The antidote will seem to be dry and rather poor soil, or ex¬ 
posure on the rockery, where the plants would be induced to 
rest till spring. Like the other species of the Himalayas, how¬ 
ever, it likes a considerable quantity of moisture, for which 
reason it is not advisable to plant on the driest parts of the 
rockery, but bearing in mind the difficulty we mendon, plants 
might be established in various positions on the rockery so 
that the cultivator would be certain of having some plants 
in spring, no matter what the character of the winter might 
have been. It is equally as easy to cultivate in pots under 
glass, and for such purpose comes in very handy for the decora¬ 
tion of the greenhouse or conservatory during February and 
March. Our illustration was prepared from a photograph 
taken in the early part of March at the establishment of 
Messrs. T. S. Ware, Limited, Hale Farm Nurseries, Feltham, 
Middlesex. 
Beaders’ Competition. —Particulars of weekly prizes, see 
centre page. 
