1 Apri, 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 
bo 
Co 
Or 
PESTA LOZZIA. 
P. vermiformis, Massee (n. sp.) 
Description not yet to hand. 
Hab,: Found on the leaves of one of the indigenous Lugenias. 
CERCOSPORA, Fes. 
C. circumscissa, Sacc. (Syll. Fung. IV. 460.) Small spots on both sur- 
faces, circular, pale, dry, at length cut round and falling out, leaving round 
holes; hyphe fasciculate, nodulose, ferruginous ; conidia acicular, much 
attenuated upwards, 50 x 33 to 4 septulate, rather dark. (Determined by Mr. 
George Massee, of Kew, England). 
This fungus, which during the past year might have been noticed from the circular holes it 
has left in the leaves of the peach-trees about Brisbane, does not seem to have considerably inter- 
fered with the productiveness of the trees, and a few sprayings with one or other’ of the many 
fungicides would have kept the trees clear of this as well as the other fungus often prevalent on 
peach-leaves—viz., Uromyces amygdali, Cooke. — * 
. 
PLANTS REPUTED POISONOUS TO STOCK. 
By F. MANSON BAILEY, F.L.S., 
Colonial Botanist. 
PRATTA ERECTA, Gaud. 
A sMALL erect plant; often producing a cluster of stems from the base, 
usually about 4 to 6 inches high, but on rich land far exceeding that height. 
Stems usually well clothed with oblong, toothed, stalkless leaves generally 
under 1 inch long, bearing pale, dirty-white, shortly-stalked flowers in their 
axils, some of which will be observed to be male and others female. ‘The fruit 
is almost globular or oblong, attaining nearly half-an-inch in length. (Vide 
Plate.) 
This plant, which is found in most of the Australian colonies, has frequently 
been forwarded to me asa suspected poison-plant. In 1890 I visited Laidley, 
where a number of cattle had died, owing, it was thought, to having eaten 
some poisonous weed. In the paddocks where the deaths had occurred, I found 
a luxuriant growth of the plant in question. The plants were green and fresh, 
6 to 9 inches high, and offered a tempting bite to the unsuspecting animals; 
and in my report at the time I stated that I considered the deaths had been 
caused from the cattle browsing upon it. 
The genera Lobelia, Pratia, and Isotoma are closely allied, and possess 
similarly highly poisonous properties. For instance, we are told that in the 
West Indies horses burst after feeding upon Jsotoma longiflora, Prest., and 
that should any of the juice of the plant touch the lips or eyes it will produce 
violent burning inflammation. 
Lobelia pratioides, Benth., is considered poisonous to stock in Victoria, and 
Dr. T. L. Bancroft found Lobelia purpurascens, R. Br., which is common in 
South Queensland, to contain similar properties to those possessed by Lobelia 
inflata, uinn., the “Indian Tobacco.” A teaspoonful of the infusion of the 
leaves and seeds of this latter plant has been known to prove fatal in 5 or 6 
hours. . 
In the Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales the Stock Inspector at 
Forbes reported that sheep which had eaten greedily of Pratia erecta shortly 
afterwards showed signs of poisoning, and died in about 12 hours. 
