Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-07-15
Ipas and Strychnlne.

MANY fc;5ans have been told OF the
Eset@oa 81 The upas tree, emanating chiefly
frsm sase Dutch traveller Foerset, who was
nguomg iase FIRST 10 note the tree In It's ma
aasx zSlAs ia the East Indies and In the
s.sl,auAs ef sase Malay Archipelago. II was
safe lW TiasHsss that the exhalations from
Sif inis were ~ viruleni that no animal
g@Es,8 fssia n as vicinity. Birds were de-
t3Erwt as fsl &ca3 that attempted to fly
nzar 1ta 1r@v az - slight In IT, branches,
Ars2 arizzltis that yenlnred into the valley
= sstxv u ggwa WeEW quickly overcome by
Us hsigAss1x breath. and, falling dead In
the act n retreat, Jeff their bones 10 attest
that the place was yeritahle Valley OF
Death. Naturaiists have since proved
these stories TO b. false. for the upas not
only lhriyes among other trees without
occasioning them any injury, but birds
and beasts mss seek IT. shelter with i'm.
puniiy
upa- Is the Malay name for poison, and
il applied 10 various deadly vegetable prod.
ucis in the islands of the southern coast
of Asia The most noted Of these poisons
Is produced by the astior taatidrts torioa
rim, tree native 20 the Sundu and Phil
ippine lslands. II belongs to the same
natural order (artoodrpaoestl a. the bread
fruit, and grows 10 the height of 100 feet,
IT, trunk giving of crown OF superb TO.
liagc ut the height OF eighty feet, From
the milky juice Of that tree the Malays pre-.
pare a poison into which they dip their
arrows These penetrating the flesh are
speedily fatal TO man and the large man.
malta. Animal. killed by the poison may,
however, be eaten with perfect safety The
only remedy for the venom IL severe vom
Ting with profuse Precipitation. The pre-
pared upas poison Is kept In closed tubes
OF bamboo. and Il said 10 lose It's strength
by age. II II not known what Is the dead
III principle In the juice of the upas, butt
appears to be an alkalold
The fables with regard to the poisonous
exhuiaiions of the upas tree probably
grew out 0f the fact that on the island Of
Java there IL narrow valley In which all
life IL quickly cut of by the emanations OF
carbonic acid from the ground. But the
upas tree II rs incapable of subsisting In
this fearful wilderness n Il every form of
vegetable and animal life AZ in the
Grotto del Cane near Naples, and the
vapof cave ut Pyrinont, in Germany, the
gas in the fatal Valley OF Java infallibly
causes the death OF all beings that breathe
near the ground. Mankind alone can
traverse the desolate region, inasmuch as
the suftocating vapors do not rise to a
height OF above four or five feet.
In the forests of Java there grows an.
other venomous plant scarcely inferior TO
the upas tree In It's poisonous properties.
II bears among the Malays the name Of
rjah upas, or poison of princes, but bot.
anists know II as the Strgclsnos 1ieate II
II climbing shrub and sends its leafless
coiling stems 10 the top of the Hottest
trees, 100 feet or more, and there gives out
IL large, green, glossy leaves, alternating
with stout tcndrils and mingled with FIRE.
quent clusters of snowy blossoms. In
the lark OF this shrub Il secreted a poi
sonous juice, in which the Malays dip their
arrows. 40 active In its nature that a
tiger, receiving slight wound from one
of these enyenomed darts, Is instantly
seized with violent trembling, stands for a
moment ON his feet, and then falls In ter.
ribls commissions that quickly end In
death
The styyehnos T'feate belongs to one Of
the most venomous Amilie. OF the vegeta.
bic kingdom the L0gGnidoc0. Most of
the members OF the tribe live In tropical or
snbtropieal countries, The Sfrychnos aux-
r0mica furnishes the fatal drug Nux.Vomi.
ca, from which stFychnine il derived. Ii
grows In the Eas, Indies, and Is tree Of
middling height, with ova,e leaves, small
grsenish-whiis flowers, and beautiful
oraDgecoiored fruit, the size of q small
apple. with brittle shell and a white
gslatinous pulp The pulp Of the fruit Is
harmless, and IL greediIy eaten by birds,
but iic seeds iinbedded In the pulp are
loaded with strychnine, and form the nux.
yomiea OF commerce. The bark OF the