The Portland daily press., 1874-08-10
Miscellaneous.
Poisonous Plants.


A few days since, coming to the city, as we
do every day, we found friend with his eyes
swollen to such degree that they were near
ly closed, and the other features of the face
neatly indistinguishable. His hands were
swollen to the dimensions of cushions. We
exclaimed, "Why do you not lie by and cure
youIself?'
''Oh, can't afford it. Been over rusticat
ing in Michigan with the family for the last
two weeks. Just got back last night. Got
poisoned with what they called poison ivy,
and business must now be attended to. Can't
lie by.''
"Ah," said we, ''that poison ivy is no ivy
at all.'
''No?" said lie, $50 sister said. She is
studying botany and called it dmpelopsis aud
wanted some of it to trim her hat with. The
natives said we had mistaken poison ivory, as
they called it, for Virginia creeper. They
said 1t would have been worse yet if we had
got hold of poison elder. The wind of that
will poison some persons"
"Well," we replied, sit matters but little
now what you call it. You are pretty essen
TALLY done for and will have TO go through a
course of washing with sugar of lead, or per-
manganate of potash, and when you get the
sore spots well dredged with scorched I've
meal, which is excellent, you will be still
less nice-looking object than you are now.''
w Nucu tyiOS III 80
they had better take one OF the natives with
them. They may not be much on scientific
names, but they will keep them clear of ''poi-
son ivoiy," Rhgs toricodendron, and the
''poison elder" "poison sumac," or "swamp
dogwood," as the RhuS uenenata is indiffer-
emily called.
These varieties may be known by their
compound leaves, divided into threes as in the
pea or Wistaria, variously toothed or lobed at
.O.lxx H. IL.
the erect variety being six to eight inches
long, and the trailing variety about two-thiris
that length. The Virginia creeper, or Amer
ican ivy, AmpeIopsis quinquefotia, on the
.other hand, has digitate or five-fingered
leaves, with five oblong lanceolate leaflets;
the flowers being cymose, that is, in fiat or
convex clusters. 1t ought never to be mis-
taken for the poisonous plants named above.
The poison-sumac, poison-elder, or swamp
dogwood as it is indifferently called, Rhls
uenendtd, should never be confounded with
either sumac, elder or dogwood, for it has
nothing in common with either of these
shrubs, except that it is also shrub or small
tree, reaching height of ten to eighteen feel,
II oyss ffee5n ee5nsfisff6g Of from seven to thr-
teen leaflets OF a stalk resembling somewhat
the Alianthus only on diminished scale.
Every farmers child should at least know
enongh of botany to distinguish the ordinary
poison plants of our fields. The family of
Un,beltiferg, or parsley family, for instance,
contain large number of plants poisonous
in the highest degree if eaten. Among these
are the wild carrot, wild parsnip, ,cow-parsnip,
cow-bane, hemlock- parsley, fooPs-parsley,
water-hemlock, (the roots OF which are dead
ly) water-parsnips, and poison-hemlock, vir-
ulent poison. They should be known and ex-
terminated whenever found.
The potato family, Solanun, contains many
deadly plants; among them the Hyoscya1nus,
or henbane. nigh.shade, matrimony-vine, +,
bi.ter-sweet, and the Jameston weed, Strd-
| nlOnitlR.
| The root of the Phytolnccd, or poke-weed,
| is exceedingly poisonous, although the shoots
early in spring, are often cooked and eaten
| like asparagus; later they are dangerous.
The Indian turnip also belongs to distinct
family, the drum family, many species Of
| which produce snowy berries. They are all
| exceedingly acrid, producing blstering of the
| mouth and pimples on the fauces.
| SO also the berries of the buckthorn are an
| exceedingly violent purge, often producing
| dangerous symptoms. 1t should be made the
business of every child in country to become
acquainted with all noxious plants, as well as
insects, and when not so they should be
taught to let severely alone every plant o
which they may not know the properties.
If little more practically had been given
to the study of botany in the case OF ths
youg lady who longed for Gmpeiopsis to twin'
around her hat, a good deal of discomfort
would have been saved to our friend. As il
is, both received a decidedly practical lesson
in botany which they will not soon for GET
| W, Rural.