The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-07-11
POISONOUS PLANTS
How TO Guard Against tho D.
the Woods an.1 trE.1a VI

oels VI people indulge in a vast deal of
| sentiment about rambles in the woods
rocky glens, purling brooks, and SINH,
lar ADJ uncts of rural life. These are all
very well IN their way, but they have
some very dIsagreeable accompaniments
Snakes, toads, wasps, hornets, ants.
TICKS, beetles, and such like inhabitants
OF the leafy woods" are to most per-
sons great draw backs to the enjoyments
Oh rurallzlng. These annoyances, how
ever, are only momentary, and are as
nothing when compared with the disa-
! greeaole and dangerous effects produ-
ced by some poisonous plants and
! shrubs.
Ot our native poisonous plants one of
the most annoying and unpleasant in
Its effects is the Rhus tOricodendrOn,
| yarlously known as poison-vine, poison
| "! and polson-oak, although it is not
related to either the ivy or oak fami-
lies. There are two varieties of this
! plant, one growing erect as a small
! shrub, from two to five feet high, and
/ the other growing as a vine from eight
to thirteen feet high, clinging by small
rootlets to trees, fences, and such
| like objects. When growing as a vine
| it is the R. TadicdnS of some bStan-
lists. In both varieties the leaves are
compound, being divided into small
leaflets, toothed or lobed in various
ways on the edges, and somewhat downy
on the under side. Those of the erect
variety are from six to eight inches
long; those of the climbing variety
are from e-half to two-thirds that
length.
This plant should not be contour
ded, as it sometimes is, with the am
pelopsis, or Virginia creeper, or Amer
1 lean ivy, which has large digitate leaves,
that is, five leaflets growing fnger-like
from the apex of the footstalk.
Another species of poisonous rhus Is
II. Uenudtd, or poison-sumac, also
known as poison-elder and swamp dog
wood, although it in no respect resem
bles either lockwood or an elder. Ii
grows as a shrub or small tree frem ten
to eighteen feet high, and generally IN
habits swampy or moist places. The
foliage is light green the leaves have
from seven to thirteen leaflets, and re
semble those of the ailantus, nly4on 8
smaller scale. To most persons the
handling of the poison vine causes
swelling of the face and vascular milan
nation of the skin, especially at the
! Joints and between the fingers, accom-
panied by a very irritating and painful
itching, which continues for two o.
three weeks. The poisoning powe
of the plant appears to be very mucl
intensified by moisture, as when thu
dew is on 1t, or when the leaves ar
wet with rain. Persons who, when tn
leaves are dry, can handle the plan
with comparative impunity, are quit
susceptible to the poison whei
, the leaves are moist. We hay
, known persons poisoned by
through having the smoke of the burn
l ing stems attached to fre-wood come i
contact with the face. The best remed
to relieye the swelling is solution c
sugar OF lead in water, applied as sc
{ luton to the parts affected permanga
r nate of potash is also used for the@sam
{ purpose. To relieve the itching an
6 vascular inflammation rye flour tOaste
over the fire in a pan clean of greas
/, until the color of roasted coffee, an
busted on the affected parts, Is yer
! ! useful remedy. In no case should an
r greasy or oily ointment or appl1catio
be made, as it only aggrayates til
, symptoms. A cooling aperient drin
p taken occasionally is of great assistance
!, HOMEOPATHIC physicians prescril
= "rhus, j and in internal poisoning v
4 have found relief from it.
I What is known among botanlsts
! the family of UBl6eHiferR, or the pa
a sley family, contains large number
a dangerously poisonous plants. Anon
n the native genera growing IN woods an
4 fields which are especially to be avOide
n as articles of diet, and not even to
1 placed in the mouth, are the wild ca
rot, wild parsnip, cow-parsnip, COY
' bane, hemlock-parsley, fools-pal sic,
. water-hemlock Che roots of which are
# deadly poison, water-parsnlp, and pc
son hemiock (also a virulent poison
Every season the newspapers cOnta
= accounts of persons being poisoned al
q diving from using one or other of the
q plants either Intentionally as vegetable
Is mistaking them for the cultivated repr
n sentatives of the family, or from igno
C antly eating the leaves or roots. Son
: are used as medicines both by the reg
- lar faculty and III domestic prescrl
Y tions, but they should never be el
Y ployed unless prescribed by regul
r. physician. We would advise our rea
II ers to let any plant they may find IN
- ! wild state that resembles any of Z
I vegetables above mentioned severe
4 alone.
,r Sometimes children are poisoned
injured by attempting to eat the root
q the AT7tna, commonly known as lndl
n turnip, Jack-ln-a-b box, wake-robin, JAG
"a in-a-pulpit, green-dragon, dragon-roC
M and various other names. This Is al
n. a distinctly marked botanical order,
g which rSe well-known Gala lily may
II taken as a familiar example. The re
O. of the Inc ian turnip has an intense
ir acrid Juice, causing, when chewed, gre
h. irritation of the throat, and sometln
40 blistering the tongue and mouth, a
"a producing troublesome swelling OF I
3 fauces. Many of the family produ
N snowy colcred berries, but they shou
r., never be eaten, as nearly the whole
der are suspicious or dangerous WI
taken internally.
The root, leaves and berries of
Phut0Idcca, commonly known as pol
,a weed, scoke and garget, are polsonou
- the Young stout shoots are sometlu
q eaten boiled as asparagus, the boih
- appearing to destroy the polsono
&c quality, or perhaps it may not be dev
y oped in the Young state of the plal
~ When older it is certainly poisonous.
o. The sSaIanun7, or potato FAM
-, like the J7nbeHJerde, contains 81
= eral species that are cultivated as We
~ etables. such as the potato, the ee
- pIant. the tomato, and peppers, but a
a. contains many species that are sus
20 cious or decidedly poisonous, the b
he ries of some of them being SNOWY
IL tempting to children. Tie whole
~ der is dangerous, as IN many of thu
% one part of the plant may be SAT-
I'M used while another part may be dang
as Gus, as in the potato, the tubers
- II. -~iaoISsoEoe, and tho lea
ne and berries poisonous. OF this fam
re there are not many species native nor
CHI ward. The principal dangerous spec
ss are the Datatra strdDaoni1s11, common
ce known as thorn-apple. jamestown we
" and stick-weed /; Hyoscydnaus, or HI
"a bane the bitter-sweet the comm
"a night-shade the deadly night-sha'
g and the matrimony-vine. The df
", purple, almost black berries of
he deadly-ni9 htshade or belladouna {
:" sometimes eaten by children, proauci
MS death.
re- Children sometimes also eat the b
a. ries of the Rhan1nus or buckthol
IN which is violent and drastic purgati'
e frequently producing dangerous syn
b. toms.
v. The only safe way to avoid unple
n ant or dangerous effects is. to scruI
~ lously refrain from handling or chewi
IN any plant, or any part of it, unless
,.Io,t 20 wall known IN VOn end EnOl