Zygadenus. Death camas. Zygadenus venenosus.

Zygadenus. Death Comas.—One or more species of this liliaceous genus, found in the Western United States, are highly toxic to grazing animals, notably to sheep. H. S. Goodell affirms that he has seen violent convulsions produced by the juice of Z. venenosus Watson. Slade (A. J. P., 1905, p. 262) obtained an alkaloid from Z. venenosus, which resembled veratalbine. Heyl and others (J. A. C. S., 1911 and 1913) obtained an alkaloid from the leaves of Z. intermedius, zygadenine, which resembled veratrine.


The Dispensatory of the United States of America, 1918, was edited by Joseph P. Remington, Horatio C. Wood and others.