Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-24
DANGER IN HERBS
POISON PLANTS WHICH MAN AND
BEAST SHOULD sHUN.
Animals and Reptiles Not as Menacing
to Woodland Strollers as
Rhus Toxicodendron-
From the Philadelphia North American.

From the Philadelphia North American.
When you go into the woods at this sea-
son of the year to camp, fish or even to
take an afternoons stroll look out for
bears. snakes and catamounts. but above
all, look out for the rhus toxicodendron.
This is neither new name for the tramp
nor yet new form of cyclone, but the
scientific name for poison ivy, the worst
or Americas poisonous plants. You may
consider yourself immune from poison
taking" but beware! One of the fore
most students of botany-an expert on
poison plants-says that when boy he and
his brother used to delight in washing their
faces and hands in the bruised leaves of
poison ivy jus: to show admiring compan-
ions in what contempt they held it. But
In this way they gaves the poison entry to
their systems, and now they are affected
by ivy and sumac even at a short distance.
Another botanist, a professor at Cornell
University, was severely poisoned at the
age of fifteen and for thirteen consecutive
years he suffered annually from slight
attack OF the malady, even though he stu
diously avoided handling the plant at the
season the attack was due Poison Ivy
is readily distinguished from its harmless
and ornamental relatives. 1t Is a rank
growing creeper and climber. with stout,
hairy stems, irregular coarse-toothed oval
leaves-invariably grouped in threes. The
vine also bears clusters of small, sickly-
white berries very similar to those of it's
co-po1soner, the sumac. 1t grows profuse-
ly In densely wooded places, and it is thick
est where the soil is most moist. The
groups of three leaves, glossy on the upper
side and downy underneath, together with
the Wild rank growth, are the infallible
marks of the poison ivy.
Poison Sumac.
ha tn borr of,I1-
ness, and though just as virulent in its
poisonous qualities, the nature of its growth
renders it less to be feared. 1t is found
in the shape of compact bush or tree
from eight to twenty feet high. and, like
the ivy. has fondness for damp places,
preferring either the banks of a wooded
stream or a marsh. 1t may be said that
the harmless varieties of sumac grow al
most entirely in dry. barren spots and
highlands, while the poison sumac grows
in the damp parts of the woods and on
marshes.
The poison sumac has nine small. richly
colored leaves that narrow to sharp points,
and in the midsummer 1T bears loosely clus-
tered greenish-w white berries. The harm
less sumac may be distinguished by the
compact clusters of berries of beautiful
scarlet hue.
The deadly nghtshade, while not nearly so
dangerous as either the sumac the. ivy, is
still to be Stunned, and there are legends
told in England of babies and small chill
dren that sickened and died after playing
from the nightshade. however is in the
glossy black berries it bears-a large and
exceedingly misunderstanding fruit that is
not unattractive to the palate. But they
are deadly poison and two or three only
have in numerous cases caused speedy
death when immediate relief was not to
be had.
The nightshade grows in abandoned
o11 md inc
The flower is bell-shaped, dull purple
blossom and the glossy black berry, close
ly resembling bleeding heart" is always
set in "a five-pointed star of leaves or pet
ais.
Water Hemlock.
Water hemock grows on the banks of
streams and in marshy places, popularity
common to almost all the poisonous plants
The stem is straight, hollow and futed
or ridged edgewise, and is generally
streaked with purple. The flowers are UNI
belliferous, grouped in uniform clusters
each supported on a short stem branching
from common point.
The danger from water hemlock lies In
the thick feshy roots or tubers, that SO
closely resemble horserstdish, parsnip and
other edible roots that they are readily
eaten by cattle, children and even unsus-
pecting adults. The poison is strongest
and concentrated at the roots. and taken
of an emetic of salt or mustard and warm
water Stimulants should then be admins
tered (after first seeing that the stomach
has been thoroughly emptied), applications
of hot pads or water bags to the armpits,
feet, and, what is of prime Importance, the
earliest possible attention of physician.
Even the water in which it grows will be
poisoned by the bruising Of tuber and
seriously affect anything that drinks Of 1t.
The fools" parsley. sometimes called
L l@aIr to l,,,A;~ ,l.l,a IL
The stem is spotted like hemlock, the leaves
grow in a curious antlered shape, and
though umbelliferous 1t has three long, slen-
der, leaf-like strips that spring from be-
meath each little cluster of flowers down.
ward. The fools parsley grows in rub
Dish heaps out in the fields, and often
springs up in carelessly kept garden, at
tanning a height of two to three feet. Ex-
cept it's close resemblance to the true pars-
ley, there is nothing especially attractive
about the fools parsley that would cause
1t to be eaten.
Besides 1.-The water parsnip'' there are
several other slightly less poisonous varie-
ties of hemlock, and it is a good plan to
shun all umbelliferously Powered bushes and
plants found wild in damp places.
Singing Nettle.
The common singing nettle, although not
generally classed with poisonous plants, is
still the foe of mankind. 1t is an herba-
ceous plant growing to three feet in height,
with long. curled. sharp-pointed leaves, pro-
vided with countless little hairs, each ter
minating in keen, brittle point, that
breaks off readily and allows a small uuan-
tity of irritating juice to escape If one
has only the courage to grasp the nettle
firmly the points can be broken without en-
tering the skin and no inconvenience re-
suits.
The United States Agricultural Depart
ment has recently made a study of the poi
son plants and declares the poison of the
ivy and sumac consists of a dark oil called
"toxicodendrOl,' found in the greatest
quantities at the roots. 1t is generally
necessary to touch and handle a poison
plant in order to be affected, but some peo-
pie are so susceptible that they take" at a
distance of three up to twenty feet when
the wind is blowing upon them from the
plant.
The toxicodendrol remains virulent until
1t is totally destroyed. Even the smoke
from burning dried ivy and sumac has fire.