The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-12
COMMON POISONOUS PLANTS.
Some of the Most Deadly Roots and
Leaves Are Pleasant to the Taste
From Haruer's Young People.
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some OF the MOST Oea0ly- Roofs ana
Leaves Are Pleasant to the Taste.
From Haruer's Young People.
The recent death Of five schOolboys at
Tarrytown, N Y, from eating root
which they supposed TO be sweet flag,
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
commenting on the case, suppOseS that il
was the very common plant
known as poison ivy or poi
son oak (rhus toxicodendron). My own
opinion would be that it was more prob
ably either the water hemlock jcicuta
maculataj or the American hellebore
(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 a root or other vegetable
product may be pleasant to the taste and
yet contain deadly poison is very i'm
pOrtant thing to know.
tortunately, not many of our native
plants possess this very dangerous co1bi-
nation 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 heshy roots have a pleas
ant, aromatic taste, but are virulently
poisonous To add to the danger there is
a closely related plant, called the sweet
c1cely, that grows in similar localities,
and much resembles the water hemlock,
but which has a root that is both palata-
able and wholesome. Many persons
have lost their lives through mistak-
ing one of these plants for the other.
Another related plant that now grows
commonly here, having been intro
Quced from Europe, is the poison hem
lock (conium maculata) the plant that
furnished the poison with which the an
Gent Greeks killed their capital criminals
and sometimes, as in the case of Socrates
and Phocion, their philosophers. These
deadly hemlocks belong TO the same FAM
lily with the parsnip, carrot and celery,
all three of which vegetables are poison
Gus in their native state, and have only
become wholesome through cultivation.
Even now the parsnip sometimes develops
poisonous principles if allowed TO become
too old before being pulled
The hellebore is also common plant,
growing in Doggy places. 1t is a lily
Though no one but botanist would sus-
pect the relationship, with broad plated
leaves that 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 select
ing 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
hellebOre is oftenicalled Indian poke"
1t is also sometimes called crow plant -
because the early settlers scattered corn
stepped in a decoction of hellebore over
the helds to poison crows.
The aconites are another tribe of COM
mon and very dangerous plants. A few
weeks ago a family on Long Island suf.
fered from eating the roots of one of
these plants. We have several native
species, but none of these is as well
known as the monks hood, " which has
come to US from Europe. This plant has
historical interest, as its poison was
used on arrow heads in primitive war
fare, and in the execution of criminals in
more civilized communities. In some
countries 1t was used 10 poison wolves
and hence it is often called ''wolfs
bane."
We are also indebted to Europe for sew
eral other common plants that are very
poisonous IN particular, the foxglove
(dlgltalis purpurea), the deadly night
shade (atropa belladonna), the henbane
(hyoscyamuS niger, and the stramonium
(datura sJramOnium). The last named is
very common roadside weed, having a
large tubular white flower. 1t is com
monty called jamestown weed, often cor
rnpted to ''iimsen weed this name hav-
ing its origin in an incident of the early
history of Virginia. Some soldiers who
had been sent to jamestown to quen the
rebellion OF Bacon were poisoned by eat
ing salad made of young shoots Of the
stramonium. The deadly nightshade
must not be confounded with our charm
ing lilies called dropping magistrates
(trilliums), which are plants of far better
repute.
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 com
mon of all, and certainly the most gener-
ally known, is the poison ivy, already re-
ferred to, which really is not an ivy at
all, but climbing sumac Irhusl. This
plant has the unenviable distinction of
being poisonous to the touch. Forum
ately it does not affect all persons, how-
ever, some being able to handle it with
immunity. go. .-..