WEEDS OF MAINE. 253 



slovenly farmer." It is a partially naturalized lierb from Europe; 

 spreads rapidly and should be diligently eradicated before it 

 matures its seed. The flowers, which appear during July and 

 August, are arranged in slightly convex umbels. When in fruit 

 these are dense and deeply concave, much resembling a bird's nest, 

 "lu case of snow, with a smooth surface crust, the mature umbles 

 break off and are driven by the winds to a great distance, and thus 

 annoy an extensive district." — {Darlington.) 



38. CoMsroN Wild Parsnip — Pastinica saliva. Root biennial, spindle shaped, large 

 and fleshy. Stem three to five feet high, stout, hollow, branched. Leaves much dis- 

 sected. Flowers yellow, in large terminal umbels. Fruit thin or very flatly compressed 

 on the hack, with a thio single winged margin, 



A well known homely weed, common in waste places and by 

 the roadside. Tlie root of the parsnip in its wild state is much 

 smaller than when cultivated, of a hard texture, acrid and poison- 

 ous, and is by no means edible. It is an unsightly and often 

 troublesome weed, and should be carefully eradicated. 



3D. Great Angelica — Life of Man — Archnngelica atropurpurea. Root perennial, large 

 and fleshy. Stem four to six feet high, furrowed, smooth, hollow, sometimes dark purple. 

 Leaves very large, one to three feet wide, two to three ternately compound; leaflets 

 toothed, terminal one, sometimes three lobed. Leaf stalks (petioles) largo, with mnch 

 inflated sheaths at the base. P/owers greenish-white, arranged in large spherical umbles, 

 which are six to eight inches in diameter. 



This is an exceedingly large and coarse looking native herb, 

 often found in low meadows and by the wayside, in moist rich soil, 

 especially along the banks of streams. It is native from New 

 England to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and northward. The root is 

 held in some repute as a domestic medicine. The presence of this 

 weed gives one's grass lands a slovenly appearance. Proper cul- 

 tivation and drainage will quickly exterminate it. 



40. Poison Hemlock — Conium Mamlntum. Root biennial, spindle-shaped, whitish 

 and fleshy. Stem two to seven feet high, round and hollow, streaked with green and 

 yellow, and often spotted with dark purple. Flowers small, white, in terminal umbels. 



"This foreigner is partially naturalized in many places, and 

 being a powerful narcotic poison, it ought to be known by every 

 person on whose premises it may occur. The plant, when bruised, 

 emits a disagreeable odor. It is supposed to be the herb with 

 which the ancient Greeks put their philosophers and statesmen to 

 death, when they got tired of them. An extract prepared from 

 this plant was formerly used for the treatment of scrofula and 

 malignant tumors, but it is now believed that the only benefit, if 

 any, derived from it was that of a palliative anodyne." — {Darling- 



