Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1912-06-28
SOME POISONOUS
NATURE PLANTS

wv O"HSo1OuS IcldL1VcS OF inc
wholesome parsley are the water hem
lock, Cicuta maculata, and the poison
hemlock, Conium maculatum. Both
possess variety Of aliases; the form
er is known as spotted parsley, snake
weed, beaver poison, musquash root,
muskrat weed, spotted cowbane, child
ren's bane, and death-of man. It may
be described as a smooth, erect peren-
NAL, three to eight feet high, with a
rigid hollow stem, finely cut leaves, an
umbel Of small white flowers (some-
what suggestive of wild carrot or Queen
Anne's lace), and cluster Of spindle
shaped roots two to three inches long.
It is not poisonous to touch, hence
does not give the warning Of blistered
and irritated skin, like poison ivy, but
is far more deadly, possibly the most
poisonous Of all our native plants, says
the Rural New Yorker.
Its poisonous property is found chief
ly in the root but also in stem, seeds and
leaves. The feshy tubers are the most
poisonous part Of the plant, andthey are
dangerous because mistakenl for horse
radish, parsnips or artichokes when
plowed or washed and exposed to view
Children mistake them for the an.
ise-t1avored sweet cicely, an innocent
member Of the same family, and a
pitiful tragedy results. For there is no
chemical antidote known for the sub.
tie alkaloids that make the plant a
menace, and beyond the cleansing of
the digestive tract, the treatment must
combat symptoms rather than causes
Many herbivarOus animals are killed
by this plant; sometimes they eat the
tuber and sometimes, in marshy
places, they are poisoned by drinking
contaminated water, resulting from
trampling upon the roots.
Conium macu1atum is not a native of
this country; it comes from Europe and
Asia, but like some other "assisted
emigrants,' it becomes troublesome
where naturalized. This is the "herb
bennett Of old writer's, also known as
spotted parsley, fool s parsley, poison
snakeweed, cashes: and wode.whistle;
This is smooth, purple spotted, hollow
stemmed biennial two to seven feet
high, with large finely cut parsley like
leaves and snowy clusters of small
white flowers in July and August. The
fresh leaves have a. peculiar, nauseatc
ing flavor, and: when bruised emit a
disgustingly mouse like odor. This is
Nature s warning, for the virulently
poisonous alkaloid, CONNIE, is found in
all parts Of the plant, being especially
present in the Leaves at towering time.
When in blooami' t tfi Whole plant lex:
hales fetid odor and prolonged ex-
posure to the effluvia is said to have
narcotic efforts. The ridged seed, which
has on its inner surface deep, narrow
groove, contains the poisonous proper
ty in high degree, but is used in med
icine to some extent; alienists find con-
inc of value in controlling maniacal
paroxysms. The root is said to be al
most harmless in March, April and
May, but is dangerous afterward.
Poisoning has occurred from eating
the seed for anise, the leaves for par
sley and the roots for parsnips. Chill
dren have also been poisoned by blow
ing whistles made from the hollow
stems. Unlike the water hemlock, which
causes frightful commissions and other
violent symptoms, poison hemlock pro-
duces gradual weakening Of all mus
.cqlar powers: ending with paralysis of
the lungs. It calls for immediate Clear:
ing of the digestive tract, strong tea;
stimulants, warmth at extremites, and
artificial respiration. Domestic an
imals have often been killed by it, but
the nauseating taste ought to warn the
most needless. from the leaves. It is
somewhat disquieting to learn that
some of the anise seed in both foreign
and domestic markets is ignorantly ad-
liberated with hemlock.
The black cherry, handsome and
valuable tree, is not generally viewed
as poisonous, yet it is responsible for
some mysterious deaths among cattle
and horses. A horse may nibble at the
tempting shoots upon the tree without
harm, while willing branches from the
same tree may produce the labored re:
spiration, numbness, fright and con.
vulsions Of prussic acid and poisoning
1t is, according to Psychologists, the
chemical action of two nonpoisonous
substances, which, in willing, liberate
prussic acid. The poison is very volatile,
and quickly passes off, but for short
period it is deadly. No doubt many cases
OF mysterious poisoning among cattle
may be traced to this cause, where the
animals have had access to freshly cut
brush. The flesh Of the fruit is not
poisonous, but children have been kill
ed by eating the kernels, and though
this wild black cherry is often used to
flavor liquors, the seed itself is open to
suspicion.
Mushroom poisoning really seems
like deliberate suicide, for its most
common cause, the deadly amanita, is
so distinct in appearance that one can
hardly understand why any one should
gather it. There is no known antidote
to phallin, it's toxic principle, so the
amateur mycologist would do we'll to
abstain from rash experiments. Avoid
fungi growing in woods, for while this
cuts out some edible forms, it is a
safeguard against the deadly amanita.
The wholesome mushroom is always
found wild in open fields. The deadly
amanita has smooth satiny cap, white
gills and spores; the white veil forms a
cup at the base, which is absent in the
true mushroom. The fly amanita has a
warty cap, shading from white or
cream to yellow or even bright red
These are both extremely deadly.
False hellebore has bright green
stemless plated leaves, coming up in
th;oE +uf+c IN cnp;pr 1yor-