REFERENCES.
LILIACEÆ.
Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia L.). Owing to its habitat—damp woods—it is unlikely that stock will eat this plant, but it may be possible where fields border open woods in which it grows. No records of stock poisoning have been met with, but cases of poisoning in man are recorded, one due to eating a considerable number (30 to 40) of the berries, and symptoms of poisoning in a child four years of age who had eaten a few berries. In smaller quantities they are very poisonous to poultry. All parts are stated to be poisonous, especially the berries. Fatal poisonings are nil, or very rare if recorded.
Toxic Principle. Walz isolated the glucoside Paridin; and Esser states that the toxic property is due to a Saponin,—the bitter irritant glucoside Paristyphnin (C38H64O18), which is convertible into Paridin (C16H28O7 + 2H2O) and sugar.
Symptoms. The plant is emetic, purgative, intensely acrid, and narcotic. Poisoning up to the present only appears to have been recorded in fowls, the symptoms being intense local inflammation, narcotic effects, vomiting, colic, diarrhœa, stupefaction, convulsions, and paralysis (Müller).
REFERENCES.
[4], [16], [73], [76], [81], [130], [141], [190].
Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis, L.). This beautiful plant is only likely to induce poisoning of domestic animals at very rare intervals, as it occurs wild in only a few woods from Moray southwards, being, however, abundant in some districts. All parts are stated to be poisonous, especially the flowers. It has an acrid, bitter taste. Few cases of poisoning are recorded. Sheep and goats are believed to eat the leaves with impunity. The extract is so poisonous that four drops injected into the blood stream sufficed to kill a dog in ten minutes (Cornevin). The leaves have been known to kill geese and fowls.
Toxic Principle. All parts of the plant contain the bitter poisonous glucoside Convallamarin (C23H44O12), the glucoside Paridin (C16H28O7 + 2H2O), and the glucoside Convallarin (C34H62O11)—the first a dangerous purgative, and the last a cardiac poison resembling Digitalis. Convallamarin is a very poisonous crystalline substance, with at first a bitter and afterwards a sweetish taste.