Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-07-14
Mistellaneuus Beading.
THE POISONERS
United States Plants and Herbs That
Give More or Less Trouble.

/
Give More or Less Trouble.
The poison-people are almost a.
rare among the plants as they are
among the snakes. Out Of all the
thousands Of wild fruits and flowers
there are, through the eastern part OF
the United States, probably not more
than dozen that are really danger
Gus. The rattlesnake and copperhead
of the plant world are the death-an.
gel and her golden sister, the fly anna
nita mushroom. Either of them can be
always told by the swollen base OIL
socket from which they grow. The
death h-angel has a white cap, white
stem, and white gills. and a veil OF
remains of a veil on the stem, while
the fly amanita has a yellow cap COW
cred with white scars or scabs. Both
of them grow in the woods and
should not be mistaken for any other
edible mushroom If little care is OBJ
served.
The poison Of the death-angel is the
most deadly vegetable poison known
on this continent. The fly amanita is
nearly as bad. Both of them attack
| the blood just as does the poison of
the rattlesnake and the copperhead,
which are the only two poisonous
snakes found throughout the east.
With the snakes, the effects Of the
OF N q
poisons, however, are more dangerous.
With the death-angel, no symptoms
appear until nine to fourteen hours
after eating, and the fly amanita does
not act for at least two hours. A third
part of the cup Of the death-angel has
been known to be fatal. If such poi
soning does occur, the only thing to
do is to keep the heart going with
some heart stimulant like atropine.
Don't take any chances with white or
yellow mushrooms in the woods until
you are far enough ahead along in ma
ture-study to be absolutely certain Of
what you are eating.
Next to the two fatal mushrooms
comes a fierce swamp -dweller. This
plant has a smooth stem and clusters
Of tiny white flowers, like the common
wild carrot or Queen Anne's lace, and
belongs to the same family. 1t has,
however, a purple-streaked stem and
cluster of spindle-shaped roots that
are sweet and spicy in taste, and which
are often eaten by children, who mis-
take them for sweet cicely. This Is
the water-hemlock. Its cousin, the
poison hemlock, comes from Europe,
but now grows in most of our eastern
states. 1t also has a purple-streaked
or spotted stem.
These two mushrooms and the hem
lock are the assassins which kill chill
dren every year. There are several
other plants which are poisonous to
lesser degree. Among these is the
jimson weed or thorn apple, which is
found growing in waste land in many
places. 1t has a white, bad-smelling
flower, which turns into a thorn-cov-
cred apple, and has large, thin wavy
leaves. The seeds-pods are about as
large as a horse chestnut and, when
they are ripe, burst open into four
compartments containing numerous
black. wrinkled kidney-shaped seeds
which are poisonous. The poison
acts the same way as belladona, which
comes from the plants "f the same
family and dilates the lupils Of the
eyes.
Other plants which have bad repu-
tation, but which are only mildly poi
sonous, are the deadly nightshade,
which has dropping clusters Of small
white flowers, and black, round, juicy
berries, and the other common night
shade which has purple flowers and
round red berries growing in droop-
ing clusters Both belong to the same
family as the potato. These are only
slightly poisonous, and in some places
the country people make pies out or
the berries and also from the poke
berry, which is a juicy plant with
which children use for dyeing pur-
poses so often. There Is not much
danger from any plant or berries
which are found in this country, out
side of the fatal four which are first
named
The two plants which make the
most trouble for children and grown
ups alike are the poison-ivy and the
poison-sumac. The poison-ivy is
vine which grows everywhere. 1t has
leaves in clusters of three, and white
berries, and when it once gets in its
work the boy or girl who makes its
acquaintance will never forget it. The
poison is probably kind Of oil which
cannot be removed by water, but
which alcohol takes off, so the first
thing to do is to wash the exposed
parts with alcohol. Sugar OF lead Is
the usual treatment. If 1t gets be-
yond that, take boiling water and dis
solve as much salt as it will hold, and
apply the solution as hot as it can be
borne, leaving the salt on. Thi@ will
cure most cases.
The poison-sumac is not to be con-
founded with the other sumacs with
red clusters at the end of the limbs.
The wicked brother has its berries
growing in the angles Of the leaves in
stead of at the end of the branches,
and they are greenish or whitish, in
stead of being red, and the bark has
scars all over it's surface. The treat
ment for the poison-sumac is the
same as for poison-ivy.-Samuel SEQ
Vile, Jr., in Sunday School Times.
THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY