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feet in height. Leaves fimply and doubly pinnated ; {maller pinnz 
wedge-fhaped, {mooth, ftreaked, jagged at the edges: larger pinnz 
_three-lobed, indented, refembling thofe of fmallage. Flowers in umbels, 
which are terminal, fpreading, and almoft globular. General invo- 
lucrum none. Partial involucrum compofed of many {mall leaves. 
Calyx permanent, five-toothed. Florets unequal, thofe at the circum- 
ference often fterile. Petals five, heart-fhaped, broad, bent inwards, 
emarginated. Filaments five, flender, tapering, twice the length of 
the petals. Anthere oblong, brown.. Germen beneath the corolla. 
Styles two, awl-fhaped, reddith, permanent. Stigmata pointed. Fruit 
_ oblong, ftriated, divifible into two parts or feeds, which are convex 
on one fide, and flat on the other. 
It grows on the banks of rivers, and in ditches, flowering in June 
and July. 
We have felected this plant, to record it as a powerful poifon, rather 
than as medicine. Its root, which is not unpleafant to the tafte, is, 
by Dr. Poultney, efteemed to be the moft deleterious of all the vege- 
tables which this country produces. 7 
Mr. Howell, furgeon at Haverfordweft, relates, that “ eleven 
“* French prifoners had the liberty of walking in and about the town 
“* of Pembroke ; three of them, being in the fields a little before noon, 
“ dug up a large quantity of this plant, which they took to be wild 
“© celery, to eat with their bread and butter for dinner. After wafhing 
“ it, they all three ate or rather tafted of the roots. As they were 
“* entering the town, without any previous notice of ficknefs at the 
“‘ ftomach, or diforder in the head, one of them was feized with 
“ convulfions. The other two ran home, and fent a furgeon to him. 
“* The furgeon endeavoured firft to bleed, and then to vomit him; but 
** thofe endeavours were fruitlefs, and he died prefently. Ignorant. — 
“ of the caufe of their comrade’s death, and of their own danger, 
“« they gave of thefe roots to the other eight prifoners, who all ate 
“ fome of them with their dinner. A few minutes afterwards the 
*¢ remaining two, who gathered the plants, were feized in the fame 
“« manner as the firft; of which one died; the other was bled, and 
“ a vomit, with great difficulty foreed down, on account of his jaws 
“* being as it were locked together. This operated, and he recovered, 
“‘ but was fometime affected with dizzinefs in his head, though not 
| oe “ fick 
