Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-08-30
COMMON POISONOUS PLANTS.
Some of the Most Deadly Roots and
Leaves Are Pleasant 10 the Taste

- III -hOSA IFtdAAis ItOplS anu
Leaves Are Pleasant 10 the Taste
The recent death of five schoolboys
at TarrytOwn, New York. from eating
root which they supposed to be
sweet flag, calls attention in A very
tragic and painful way to the presence
of poisonous plants in our woods and
fields, says writer in Harper's Young
People. Just what the root really was
l have not definitely learned. 4 med
zeal journal, commenting on the case,
SuppoSeS that it was the very common
plant known as poison ivy or poison
oak (rhus toxicodendrOn) My own
opinion would be that it was more
probably either the water hemIock
(cicuta maCulata) or the American hell
ebore (veratrum viride). both Of which
are poisonous plants that grow, like the
harmless sweet flag, in moist localities.
But perhaps it is not so important to
learn what plant killed the unfortunate
lads as to remember that the fatal
root was so palatable that the boys
ate it eagerly. That root or other
vegetable product may be pleasant to
the taste and yet contain deadly poi
son is very important thing to know.
( Fortunately not many of our native
plants possess this very dangerous
combination of qualities. Of those that
do perhaps, the most dangerous is the
water hemlock, already mentioned.
This is Il rank weed, growing common
ly in moist localities. Its fieshy roots
have Il pleasant, aromatic taste, but
are virulently poisonous. To add to
! the danger there is Il closely related
plant called the sweet cicely, that
grows in similar localities. and much
, resembles the water hemlOck, but
which has root that is both palatable
and wholesome. Many persons have
lost their lives through miStaking one
of these plants for the other Another
related plant that now grows common
ly ere, 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
/ Phocion, their philosophers. These
deadly 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 develops poisonous princi-
/ pies if allowed to become too old be-
fore being pulled.
! The hellebore is also a common plant,
growing in Doggy places. 1t is lily
! Though no one but botanistS would Sus-
pect the relationship, with broad
] plated leaves that clasp the stem at
! their base. The poisonous properties
/ of this plant were we'll known to the
! Indians, who are said to have some
! times used it in selecting their chiefs
the man who could take most of the
] poison with impunity being regarded
! as strongest and best qualified to lead
On account of this tradition the helle-
bore is often called 'Indian-poke." 1t
is also sometimes called "crOw-plant,"
because the early settlers scattered
corn stepped in d decOctiOn Of helle-
! bore over the fields to poison crows.
The acOnites are another tribe OF
common and very dangerous plants. A
/ few weeks ago a family on Long ISL
and suffered from eating the roots of
one of these plants. We have several
native species, but none of these is as
we'll known as the "mank'S hood
! which has come to us from Europe.
This plant has historical interest, as
! it's poison was used on arrow heads i'll
primitive warfare, and in the execution
Of criminals INN ore civilized cOmmu-
mites. In some countries it was used
to poison wolves and hence it is often
called "wolfs bane"
We are also indebted to Europe for
! several other common plants that are
/ very poisonous; in particular, the fox
! glove (digitalis purpurea), the deadly
nitshade (atropa belladonna), the hen
! bane hyoscyamus niger. The last
named is a very common roadside
weed having a large tubular white
! flower 1t is commonly called James
! town weed, often corrupted to ''jimsen
weed" this name having its origin in
an incident Of the early history Of Vir-
ginia. Some soldiers who had been
sent to jamestown to quell the REBEL
/ lion of Bacon were poisoned by eating
! a salad made of young shoots Of the
] stramonium. The deadly nightshade
must not be COMPOUNDED with our
charming lilies called dropping night
shades (trilliums), which are plants Of
far better repute.
/ I have mentioned only the common
er plants whose pOisOns are most viru-
lent. 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,
i which really is not ivy at all, but a
climbing sumac (rhus). This plant has
/ the unenYiable distinction Of being
poisonous to the touch. Fortunately it
does not affect all persons, however,
being able to handle it with impunity.
G. WASHINGTON'S ORDEAL YET
TO COME.
n