The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1894-08-18
POISONOUS PLANTS.
Water femlock. Hellebore, Aconite, Eoy.
glove and Others.

Water f.mlock. Hellebore. Aconitc. FoI-
glove and Others.
The recent death of five school boys
at Tarrytown. n. Y, from eating a root
which they supposed to be sweet flag,
calls attention in a very tragic and
painful way to the presence of poison
Gus plants in our woods and fields.
Just what the roo really was 1 have
not definitely learned. Amedical jour
nal commenting on the case supposes
that it was the very common plant
known as poison ivy or poison oak
CRhus toxicodendron). My own opin-
ion would be that it was probably either
the water hemlock (Cicuta maculata)
or the American hellebore (Veratruln
viride), both of which are poisonous
plants that grow. like the harmless
sweet flag, 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 palatable that the boys ate it eager
ly. That a root. or other vegetable
product may be pleasant to the taste
and yet contain "a deadly poison is a
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 a rank weed, growing common
ly in moist localities. Its fieshy roots
have a pleasant aromatic taste. but are
virulently poisonous. To add to the
danger there is a closely-related plant,
called the sweet cicely, that grows in
similar localities and much resembles
the water hemlock. but which has a
root that is both palatable and whole
some. Many persons have lost their
lives through installing one of these
plants for the other. Another related
plant that grows commonly here. hav-
ing been introduced from Europe. is
the poison hemlOck (conium maculata),
the plant hat furnished the poison
with which the ancient Greeks killed
their capital criminals. and sometimes,
as in the ease of Socrates and Phccion.
their philosophers. These deadly hem
locks 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 be-
come wholesome through cultivation.
Even now the parsnip sometimes de-
velops poisonous principles if allowed
to become o old before being pulled.
The hellebore is also a common
plant. growing in DOGGY places. 1t is
a lily Though 10 one but Il botanist
-~,,1l $500 H. "a
broad plated leaves hat clasp the
stem at their base. The poisonous
properties of this plant were well
known to the Indians. who are said to
have sometimes used it in selecting
their chiefs-the man who could take
most of the poison with impunity being
regarded as strongest and best quail
fed to lead. On account of this tradi.
ton the hellebore is often called In
dian poke" 1t is also sometimes called
''crow plant" because the early settlers
scattered corr stepped in a decoction
of hellebore over their fells to poison
crows.
The aconites are another tribe of
common and very dangerous plants. A
few weeks ago a familyo on Long Island
suffered from eating the roots of one of
these plants. We have several native
species, put lone of these is as we'll
known as the monks hood"
which has come to us from Europe.
This plant has Il historical interest,
as its poison was used on arrow beads
in primitive warfare. and in the exc
cution of criminals 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 beladonna), the
henbane (HyOscyamus niger and the
stramonium (datura stramonium). 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 same having its origin in
an incident of the early history
of Virginia. Some soldiers who had
been sent to jamestown to quell
the rebellion of Bacon were poisoned
by eating a salad made Of young shoots
of the stramonium. The deadly night
shade must not be COMPOUNDED with our
charming lilies called dropping night
shades (trilliums), which are plants of
far better repute.
1 have mentioned only the commoner
plants whose poisons are most virulent.
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
sutnac (rhus). This plant has the I'M
enviable distinction of being poisonous
to the touch. Fortunately it does not
affect all persons. however, m being
able to handle it with irapunity.-Har.
peris Young People.
Fanny Crosby. the blind Methodist
hymn-Uriter. is now seventy wears OF