142 TO PRESERVE FLOWERS AND PLANTS. 



POISONOUS PLANTS* 



1. Plants with five stamens and one pistil, with a dull-col- 

 ored lurid corol, and of a nauseous sickly smell, always poi- 

 sonous. As, tobacco, thorn-apple, henbane, nightshade. 



2. Umbelliferous plants of the aquatic Kind, and a nauseous 

 scent, are always poisonous. As, water-hemlock, cow-pars- 

 ley. But if the smell is pleasant, and they grow on dry land, 

 they are not poisonous. As, fennel, dill, coriander. 



3. Plants with labiate corols, and seeds in capsules, fre- 

 quently poisonous. As, snap dragon, fox-glove. 



4. Plants from which issue a milky juice on being broken, 

 are poisonous, unless they bear compound flowers. As, 

 milk-weed, dogbane. 



5. Plants having any appendage to the calyx or corol, and 

 eight or more stamens, generally poisonous. As, colum- 

 bine, nasturtion. 



Plants with few stamens, not poisonous, except the num- 

 ber be five ; but if the number be twelve or more, and the 

 smell nauseous, heavy and sickly, the plants are generally 

 poisonous. 



TO PRESERVE FLOWERS AND PLANTS. 



Place the specimens in a close, dark room; when the 

 plants are nearly dry, press them, in small quantities envel- 

 oped in paper, till the oil appears on the surface, which you 

 will know by its discoloring the paper ; then do them up in 

 clean paper bags, and they will retain their fragrance, color, 

 and medicinal properties, for years. 



