34 POISONOUS PLANTS 



flower is borne on a peduncle, five to eight inches 

 in length, carrying an Involucre of three sessile, 

 deeply-cut bracts. The flowers have six sepals of 

 a dull violet-purple colour, very silky externally ; 

 the carpels when ripe have their styles converted 

 into long feathery tails, like those of the Traveller's 

 Joy {Clematis V it alba). 



Wood-anemone {A. mmorosd). — This has a 

 long, creeping rootstock. The involucre consists of 

 three complete leaves. The flower has six white or 

 rosy-coloured sepals ; the carpels become tailless 

 achenes like those of the buttercup. 



All species are harmful, and several are culti- 

 vated, such as A. coronaria and A. hortc7isis from 

 South Europe, A. japonica from Japan, etc. The 

 leaves and sepals, etc., should not be put into the 

 mouth. The toxic principle has been extracted 

 from three species : the two here described, and 

 one foreign one. No fatal results have been recorded. 



A foreign species {A. rammculoides) is used in 

 Kamtschatka for poisoning arrows. 



In France, swelling and blistering of the hands 

 has resulted from using the juice as a stimulant to 

 ulcerations, etc. 



Cattle have been poisoned by their eating the 

 Wood-anemone in the fresh state, after having been 

 underfed and kept on dry food during the winter ; 

 when they become less discriminating and ready 

 to eat any fresh green food. 



