The Portland daily press., 1894-07-06
Poisonous Roots,

The recent death OF five school boys at
which they supposed to be sweet-fag,
calls attention in a very tragic and pain
full way to the presence of poisonous
plants in our woods and fields. Just
what the root really was I have not
definitely learned. A medical journal
it was the very common plant known
as poison ivy or poison oak (Rhus toxi-
codendron.) My own opinion would be
that it was more probably either the
water hemlock (Cicuta maculata } or
the American hellebore (Veratrum
viride,) both of which are poisonous
plants that grow like the harmless
sweet-fag in moist localities. But per-
haps it is not so important to learn what
plant killed the unfortunate lads as to
remember that the fatal root was so
palataple that the boys ate it eagerly.
That a root or other vegetable product
may be pleasant to the taste and con-
tain deadly poison is a very important
thing to know.
Fortunately not many of our native
plants possess this very dangerous COM
bination of qualities. of those that do,
perhaps the most dangerous is the water
hemlock, already mentioned. This is a
rank weed, growing commonly in moist
localities. It's feshy ROOFS have pleas
ant aromatic taste, but are virulently
poisonous. To add to the danger there is
a closely related plant called sweet
cicely, that grows in similar localities,
and much resem bles the water hemlock
but which has root that is both pala-
table and wholesome. Many persons
have lost their lives through mistaking
one of these plants for the other. An
other related plant that now grows COM
monty here, having been introduced from
Europe, is the poison hemlock (Conium
maculata), the plant that furnished the
poison with which the ancient Greeks
killed their capital criminals, and some
times, as in the case of Socrates and
Phocino, their philosophers. These
hemlocks belong to the same family with
the parsnip, carrot and celery, all three
of which Vegetables are poisonous in their
native state, and have only become
wholesome through cultivation. Even
now the parsnip sometimes developes
poisonous principles if allowed to be-
come too old before being pulled.
The heilebore is also common plant.
growing in bog places. 1t is a lily
(though no one but a botanist would
plated leavss that clasp tho stem at
their base. The poisonous properties
of this plant were well known to sthe
Indians, who are said to have sometimes
used it in selecting their chiefs-the
man who could take most of the poison
with IMMUNITY being regarded as strong
est and best qualified to lead. On ac-
count of this tradition the hellebore is
often called "Indian poke" 1t is also
sometimes calIeds" crow plant" because
the early settlers scattered or stepped in
a decoction of hellebore over their fields
to poison crows.
The aconites are another tribe of
common and very dangerous plants.
A few weeks ago a family on Long
one of these plants. We have several
native species, but none of these is as
well known as the "monk's-hood," which
has come TO US from Euorpe This plant
has historical interest, as it's poison
was used on earrowheads in primitive
warfare, and in the execution of crimi-
nails in more civilized communities In
some countries it was used to poison
wolves, and hence it is often called
"wolfsbane."
We are also Indebted to Europe for
several other common plants that are
very poisonous; in particular the fox
glove (Digitalis purpurea), the deadly
nightshade (Atropa belladonna), the
henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), and the
stramonium (Datura stramonium). The
last named is a very common road side
weed, having a large tubular white
flower. 1t is commonly called James
town weed, often corrupted to "jimsen
weed" this name having it's origin
in an incident of the early history of
Virginia Some soldiers who had been
sent to jamestown to ouell the rebellion
of Bacon, were poisoned by eating a
salad made of young shoots of the stra-
monium. The deadly nightshade mnst
not be COMPOUNDED with our charming
lilies 4 called dropping snightshades
| (Trilliumsl which are plants of far bet
ter repute.
have mentioned only the commoner
plants whose poisons are most vlrulent.
A long list might be added of plants in
some degree poisonous, but the effects
of which are seldom fatal. Perhaps the
most common of all, and certainly the
| most generally known, is the poison ivy,
already referred to, which really is not
an ivy at all, but a climbing sumae
| (Rhus). This plant has the unenviable
| distinction of being poisonous to the
| touch. Fortunately it does not affect all
persons however, some being able to
handle it with impunity. -Harper's
Young People.