Alkaloid ("Agonopterix alstroemeriana)." This moth feeds on its highly toxic and alkaloid-rich host plant poison hemlock ("Conium maculatum") during its larval stage. "A. asltroemeriana" may benefit twofold from the toxicity of the naturally-occurring alkaloids, both through the unpalatability of the species to predators and through the ability of "A. alstroemeriana" to recognize "Conium maculatum" as the correct location for oviposition. Medical use of alkaloid-containing plants has a long history, and, thus, when the first alkaloids were isolated in the 19th century, they immediately found application in clinical practice. Many alkaloids are still used in medicine, usually in the form of salts,
Croton (plant) Croton (plant) Croton is an extensive flowering plant genus in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The plants of this genus were described and introduced to Europeans by Georg Eberhard Rumphius. The common names for this genus are rushfoil and croton, but the latter also refers to "Codiaeum variegatum". The generic name comes from the Greek (""), which means "tick" and refers to the shape of the seeds of certain species. "Croton" is a diverse and complex taxonomic group of plants ranging from herbs and shrubs to trees. A well-known member of this genus is "Croton tiglium", a shrub native to Southeast