The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-02-25
Poisonous Plants.

with the popular physic-mongers who
recommend their compounds upon the
score of being purely vegetable" con-
sequently harmless, if not beneficial.
Still, truth compels me to say that the
most virulent poisons- are of vegetable
origin. The tabled Upas tree, of which
we all have read in our childhood days,
has, it is true, lost its terrors through the
more familiar acquaintance in the con-
servatory; but there are poisonous
plants enough left to make one careful
about introducing them too freely into
the greenhouse or garden. 49,.
Few will probably undertake to cult
vate plants of Strychn0s nur.u0nasca or
the Deadly Hemlock (EnanthS er0cata);
but the Deadly Night-Shade, Aconite,
and many other equally as dangerous
kinds are far too frequently seen in gar
dens or permitted to grow wild by the
roadsides.
The curious and snowy fruits of the
Stramonium Daturo) or the bright-red
berries of Climbing Night-Shade $50
lopum dulcamara) frequently tempt chill
dren's curiosity, and . taste results in a
more or less severe case of poisoning.
Children should also be instructed not to
dig and eat the roots Of plants, for there
are some, like the wild carrot, which are
somewhat pleasant to the taste, but at
the same time extremely poisonous.
One might suppose that PLANTS as com.
mon and wildly distributed as our two
poisonous species of Wild Sumac would
be well known to every person; but
they are not, and thousands of instances
of severe poisoning occur every season
through careless handling Of these
plants. It is true that they are not
equally poisonous to every one and some
persons can handle them with impunity;
still it is never 4 safe experiment and at
all times, for have known those who
escaped from many venture of this
kind but were poisoned at last. Be-
sides, after q person has once been in
ocuiated with the virus of these plants
they are ever afterward more susceptible
to the effects of sumac poison than be-
fore.
The most yiruasnt species is the one
known as Poison Dogwood, or Poison
Sumac, or botanically Rhus vensnatd. It
is common shrub in low, swampy
grounds, growing ten to fifteen feet
high 1t has pinnate leaves, somewhat
like the ailanthus tree, but the leaf
stalks or petioles are of q reddish color.
The fruit is about the size of grain of
wheat and of dull, yellowish color. 1t
is produced in long, rather loose, panicles
or clusters, and these may be seen hang
ing upon the bushes long after the leaves
have fallen In autumn. = -
The other species is known by several
common names but the most general is
Poison Ivy, because it Is found creeping
over rocks or ascending the stems Of
trees by means of the minute rootlets
which spring from every portion Of the
stalk. The botanical name Of this plant
is Rhxs Torieodendyun. The VINE is fire.
quently mistaken for the American
Creeper (Ampelopsis quinquGolia);; but
the leaves Of, the latter are divided into
five leaflets, a. its specific name indi-
Gates, while those of the former have
only three. II this very marked differ
ence Is only kept in mind, no one need
make mistake, at least while both
plants are in leaf. a child largo enough
to rsmble about the field can easily te
made to remember that the three.leaved
vine Is poisonous and the fve-leaved not
But 20 long as thousands Of parents will
not take the trouble to inform them
selves in regard to such simple hut use
full matters it cannot be expected that
their children will escape the penalties
Of ignorance or know good from evil
even among the plants OF field or gar
den.-H 8. n, IN n. +. IndeVsadsnt. !
I sSS