CONIUM MACULATUM. 
Frurr. Dry, consisting of two coherent carpels, separating 
from each other by their faces (commissure) into two halves 
(merocarps). 
Tue Seconpary CHaRacters. 
Contum. Calyz margin obsolete. Petals obcordate, with 
-an acute, inflected point. Fruit ovate, laterally compressed. 
Carpels with five acute, equal, undulate-crenulate ribs, lateral 
ones marginal, intervals without vitte. Seeds with a deep, 
narrow groove on the face. 
Seeds five-ribbed. Ribs at first crenate, with flat intervals between them. Germ 
ovate, gibbous. Perianth entire. Petals unequal, cordate, inflexed. General invo- 
luere about three to five-leaved. Partial ones mostly three-leaved, unilateral. 
Tae Speciric CHaracTERs. 
Conium macutatum. Stem spotted. Leaves tripinnate. 
Leaflets lanceolate, pinnatifid. Fruit smooth. 
Stem very branching, spotted. eaves very compound. Seeds striate. 
THe ArtiriciaL CHARACTERS. 
Crass Penranpria. Stamens five. Orver Dicynta. Poly- 
petalous. Seeds two. Flowers in umbels. Herbs with hol- 
low stems. : 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
_ Contum Macu.arum is usually supposed to be the géverov 
of the Greek writers, the celebrated Athenian state poison, by 
‘which Socrates and Phocion died, and the cicuta* of the 
Roman authors. It is a native of Europe and parts of Asia, 
and is naturalized in many places in the United States. The 
plant is biennial and umbelliferous, growing under hedges, 
by road-sides, and among rubbish, flowering in June and July. 
_ The root, which is fusiform, branching, whitish, and fleshy, 
_ exudes when cut a milky juice. The stem rises erect about 
four or five feet in height, is branching and leafy, round, hol- 
low, striated, smooth, shining, and maculated with brownish 
_ purple. The lower leaves are very large, above a foot in 
— length, on large sheathing petioles, supra decompound, and 
_ shining; the upper leaves are bipinnate; the whole stand 
upon channelled footstalks proceeding from the joints of the 
