Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1901-08-15
Plants That
Poison

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Many Of those who have gone into
the country to enjoy tho shade of the
trees and the cooling verdure Of the
fields have returned to their city
homes In sorry plight and breathing
anathemas upon everything bucolic,
They have been poisoned by the SEEM
ingly harmless plants they have come
In contact with, and. wear disAguring
blotchcs upon face, neck or hands,
And many others who will spend their
vacation days far from the maddening
crowds gnoble strife win find them
selves In u like predlcament unless
they are careful to avoid the contami-
mating shrubs, The most common Of
the poison plants In this section Is
known as the poison ivy. 1t is often
confused with the Virginia creoper, to
the destruction Of that beautiful and
harmless vine, The vines can readily
be distinguished by the three divided
leaves Of the creeper, The latter Is
also a much deeper green, In the late
year the whitIsh fruit Of the Ivy very
easily Identifies It. the berries Of the
creeper are blacklsh. The poison Ivy
Is especially harmful Mt night and in
early morning before the sun dries the
dew II Is poisonous when touched
and persons very susceptible to Its in
lluence have been known to be poison
ed by passing near where II was COW
cred with dew,
Another very poisonous plant, near
relative to the Ivy, but not so frequent
ly found, is the poison sumach or dog
woodruff this must not be confused
with the beautiful and harmless cor
nus, which is also known as dogwood
The poison dogwood grows only In
swampy places and flowers In June, In
early summer 1t can be distinguished
from the harmless staghorn sumach by
the slender greenish or yellowlsh
white flower clusters which grow
from the axis Of the leaves, those of
the innocent sumach being borne In
pyramidal terminal clusters, In the
late year the fruits Of the respective
shrubs are similarly situated, but they
differ in color, that Of the poisoned
being whltlsh or dun color, while that
Of the harmless staghorn sumach Is
deep, beautiful crimson, The leaves Of
the poisonous variety turn to magnih-
cent colors In the autumn. No plant or
tree, not excepting the maple, has such
brilliant and vivid colorlng. It's glow
ing red, yellow and rich bronze shades
attract the eye and the temptation Is
great to gather the alluring branches
but beware! The result Is often worse
than to touch the dewy Ivy, The most
dangerous vegetable poison native to
our country is the water hemock, or
spotted cowbane 1t Is deadly poison
in roots and leaves This plant is
often mistaken for the wild carrot-or
Queen Annes lace-Sweet Cicely and
other whlte-ilowered members Of the
parsley family, but 1t can readily be
identified by Its purple streaked stem
The umbels Of the water hemlock are
also more loosely clustered than those
of the carrot and their stalks more
unequal. 1t Is commonly found In
marshy ground, blossoming in mid
summer. It Is also called musquash
root and beaver poison The May ap-
pie or mandrake, another Of our poi
sonous plants and a member Of the
barley family, has two large leaves
and one flower, bearing in July large
neshy, egg-shaped berry, sweet and
edible, though often leaving unpleas-
ant after effects. The leaves and roots
are poisonous IL eaten and It has been
used as q pot herb with fatal results
They grow thickly along the woods
and meadows. The fruit is sometimes
called wild lemon on account Of Its
shape. The poke weed or pigeon berry
Is q well-known frequenter Of country
waysldes. The large roots are poison
Gus, but the young shoots are rendered
quite harmless by boiling and are
eaten like asparagus. 1t bears white
flowers in July, but in September the
leaves look like as X stained with