What is "daphne mezereum"

Mezereon \Me*ze"re*on\, n. [F. m['e]z['e]r['e]on, Per. m[=a]zriy[=u]n.] (Bot.) A small European shrub ( Daphne Mezereum), whose acrid bark is used in medicine.

Umbelliferone \Um`bel*lif"er*one\, n. (Chem.) A tasteless white crystalline substance, C9H6O3, found in the bark of a certain plant ( Daphne Mezereum), and also obtained by the distillation of certain gums from the Umbellifer[ae], as galbanum, asafetida, etc. It is analogous to coumarin. Called also hydroxy-coumarin.

Daphnin \Daph"nin\, n. [Cf. F. daphnine.] (Chem.)

1. A dark green bitter resin extracted from the mezereon ( Daphne mezereum) and regarded as the essential principle of the plant. [R.]

2. A white, crystalline, bitter substance, regarded as a glucoside, and extracted from Daphne mezereum and Daphne alpina.

Daphne mezereum, commonly known as February daphne, mezereon, mezereum, spurge laurel or spurge olive, is a species of Daphne in the flowering plant family Thymelaeaceae, native to most of Europe and Western Asia, north to northern Scandinavia and Russia. In southern Europe it is confined to medium to higher elevations and in the subalpine vegetation zone, but descends to near sea level in northern Europe. It is generally confined to soils derived from limestone.

It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1.5 m tall. The leaves are soft, 3–8 cm long and 1–2 cm broad, arranged spirally on the stems. The flowers are produced in early spring on the bare stems before the leaves appear. They have a four-lobed pink or light purple (rarely white) perianth 10–15 mm diameter, and are strongly scented. The fruit is a bright red berry 7–12 mm diameter; it is very poisonous for humans, though fruit-eating birds like thrushes are immune and eat them, dispersing the seeds in their droppings.