ISO POISONOUS PLANTS 



This succulent herb, with reddish purple stems, 

 large coarsely veined leaves and long sprays of small 

 white flowers which droop like the blossoms of the 

 Choke Cherry, springs from a tough, perennial 

 root and in a few months will often grow to a 

 height of eight feet. As the season advances and the 

 flowers are followed by berries, at first green, then 

 passing through red to a purple -black, Poke weed 

 gradually leaves the procession of weeds, and devel- 

 ops decided picturesque qualities, filling the corners 

 of fields and pastures with its richly -colored groups, 

 and reaching over gray stone walls and old fences 

 to dangle its fruit by the roadside. The fresh 

 shoots of this plant are sometimes cooked by coun- 

 try folk in lieu of Asparagus. Great care, however, 

 is necessary in the preparation thereof, and not a 

 fragment of the root must be used, as it pos- 

 sesses strong medicinal properties, acting as a vio- 

 lent emetic, causing much distress, and even death, 

 when it has been eaten by mistake for Artichoke 

 or Horse-radish. Though birds eat the berries 

 quite freely, they are believed to be poisonous to 

 humanity. 



False Hellebore, the swamp plant with crumpled 

 lily-like leaves and green flowers, that we found 

 growing with the Skunk Cabbage and Adder's 



