NATURAL FAMILIES. 53 



172. Currants and gooseberries, both cultivated and 

 wild, belong to the Currant Family, whose fruits are 

 healthy and often medicinal. 



173. The carrot, parsnip, caraway, celery, parsley, 

 coriander and others belong to the Parsley Family, Umbel- 

 liferw, (umbel or umbrella-bearing,) so valuable for their 

 roots or their seeds. 



174. The sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, succory, sal 

 sify, dandelion, lettuce, daisy, mayweed, chamomile, aster, 

 golden-rod, thistle, everlasting, and many others, belong 

 to the Sunflower or Composite Family. 



175. Sage, mint, sweet basil, lavender, pennyroyal, 

 balm, catnip, hyssop, summer savory, marjoram, thyme, 

 motherwort, horse-mint, spear-mint, self-heal, and many 

 other herbs, belong to the Sage or Mint Family, friendly, 

 soothing, and pleasant to man. 



176. The sweet potato, morning glory, convolvulus, and 

 others, to the Convolvulus Family, a suspected race, whose 

 roots are, notwithstanding, sometimes of great value. 



177. The tomato, potato, capsicum, petunia, stramo 

 nium, henbane, tobacco, &c., belong to a very poisonous 

 family, called the Night-shade Family. The root even of 

 the useful potato retains some of the characteristic poison. 

 This poison may always be boiled away. A potato should 

 therefore be so cooked as to be mealy. The waxy appear 

 ance shows that some of the poison is still present. 



178. The lilac, privet, fringe-tree and ash belong to the 

 Olive Family. 



179. All the whortleberries, blueberries, cranberries, 

 the checkerberry, May flower, Kalrnias or American laurels, 

 azaleas, and many others, belong to the Heath Family. Of 

 these many are wholesome, some doubtful, some poisonous. 



