WILD FLOWERS WHITE AND GREENISH 



the one from which the ancient Greeks extracted 

 the poisonous potions that were administered to their 

 political prisoners and others of their day. The 

 great Socrates, it is believed, died from a draught of 

 this poison. The deadly qualities are contained in 

 an aromatic, oily fluid, found chiefly in the roots, but 

 also in every part of the plant. The underground 

 parts are most dangerous, and both men and cattle 

 are poisoned annually through eating its roots, or by 

 drinking water in which its roots may have been 

 crushed. No chemical antidote for this poison is 

 known, and it produces violent deaths. It is a stout, 

 smooth, erect, and slender branching perennial, grow- 

 ing from three to six feet high. The hollow stalk 

 is usually marked with purple lines, and the root has 

 several oblong, fleshy tubers. The compound leaf 

 is twice or thrice divided, and the long pointed, lance- 

 shaped divisions are coarsely and sharply toothed. 

 The veinings seem to end in the notches. The leaves 

 are smooth, dark green, and are set on regular stems. 

 The numerous, insignificant, whitish flowers are 

 loosely arranged in a large, spreading wheel of small, 

 flat-topped umbels. It is found from June to August in 

 swamps and low grounds, from New Mexico and 

 Florida, northward to Minnesota and Manitoba. 



j 

 COW PARSNIP. MASTER-WORT 



Heracleum lanatum. Carrot Family. 



Linnaeus made no mistake when he dedicated this 

 tall, strikingly bold, and giant-like perennial to 



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