320  Study  of  Astragulus  Caryocarpus.  {AmjJu°iy^imrm- 
A  CHEMICAL  STUDY  OF  ASTRAGULUS  CARYOCARPUS. 
(Preliminary.) 
By  G.  B'.  Frankforter. 
It  has  been  stated  that  the  fruit  of  the  Astragulus  caryocarpus,  in 
certain  stages  of  its  growth,  contains  a  poisonous  substance  which 
resembles  in  some  respects  that  which  is  supposed  to  exist  in 
Astragulus  mollissimus  or  common  loco  plant,  Astragulus  drum- 
mondi,  Astragulus  oxytropus,  Astragulus  pattersoni  and  several 
others  of  the  same  family.  Up  to  the  present  time,  the  A,  caryo- 
carpus  has  not  been  carefully  studied,  and  reports  are  as  unreliable 
as  in  the  case  of  many  other  members  of  the  family.  O'Brien 
(Bulletin  25,  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  of  Colorado)  refers  to 
it,  without,  however,  making  any  special  examination  of  it.  Chest- 
nut, in  his  "  Catalogue  of  Plants  Poisonous  to  Stock  "  (Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  of  1898),  mentions 
several  species  of  Astragulus,  including  A.  hornii  and  A.  bigelovii, 
and  concludes  that  other  species  are  likewise  poisonous.  In  fact, 
from  both  written  and  unwritten  reports,  it  is  quite  probable  that 
all  of  the  species  of  Astragulus  in  the  Western  and  Northwestern 
States  have  been  regarded  as  poisonous.  As  Astragulus  caryo- 
carpus  was  formerly  very  abundant  in  Eastern  Nebraska,  the  writer 
had  excellent  opportunities  for  studying  its  physical  characteristics, 
and  later,  for  studying  it  from  the  chemical  point  of  view. 
The  Astragulus  belongs  to  the  Pulse  family  and  is  well  repre- 
sented throughout  the  Western  and  Northwestern  States.  The  A. 
caryocarpus  grows  abundantly  on  the  wild  prairie  lands  of  Kansas, 
Nebraska  and  parts  of  Dakota,  but  is  rapidly  becoming  extinct  as 
the  prairies  become  cultivated.  While  under  ordinary  conditions  it 
refuses  to  become  civilized,  it  does,  however,  grow  on  cultivated 
soil.  Botanically  the  plant  is  known  as  the  "  ground  plum,"  but  it 
is  better  known  in  the  Western  States  as  "  hog-apple,"  a  name 
given  to  it,  it  is  said,  because  swine  devour  the  ripe  fruit  voraciously. 
Regarding  the  poisonous  properties  of  A.  caryocarpus,  I  can 
state  that  I  have  often  eaten  the  fruit  in  its  various  stages  of  growth 
and  have  never  experienced  the  slightest  poisonous  effect ;  nor  have 
I  known  of  but  a  single  case  where  poisoning  seems  to  have  come 
from  the  plant.  There  is  in  the  unripe  fruit  a  bitter  taste  which 
lingers  after  the  characteristic  sweet  taste  has  disappeared.  That 
