UMBELLIFEROUS PLANTS. 71 



Several of the umbelliferous plants are remark- 

 able for their uses as food or medicine, or else for 

 their poisonous qualities. The roots of most of 

 those which grow in dry soils have a spicy smell 

 and taste; but in moist situations, or in water, they 

 are nearly all poisonous. 



The water Cow-bane, Cicu'ta vin/sa, grows in 

 pools and rivers, and is one of the most violent of 

 vegetable poisons. Early in the spring cows are 

 often killed by eating it; but as the summer ad- 

 vances, the smell of the plant becomes stronger, and 

 they carefully avoid it. Linnaeus mentions, in his 

 Lapland Tour, that he was told of a disease amongst 

 the cattle at Torneo, which killed a great many of 

 them in the winter, but was still more prevalent in 

 the spring, when they were first turned out to grass; 

 and which the inhabitants could not account for. 



On examining the place where the cattle had fed, 

 he found it to be a marsh, in which the Cicu'ta vi- 

 ro'sa grew in abundance ; and by pointing out the 

 plant, he enabled the people to guard against the 

 danger ever after. 



The water Parsnep, Si'um latifo'lium, and water 

 Hemlock, Phellan'drium aquat'icum, both natives 

 of England, are also very poisonous. The carrot, 

 Dau'cus Caro'ta; Parsnep, Pastina'ca sati'va; An- 

 gelica, Angelica Archangel'ica; Carraway, Ca'rum 

 Car'ui , Coriander, Corian'drum sati'vum ; Earth- 

 nut, Bu'nium flexuo'sum; Fennel, Me'um Foanic'-* 

 F 4 



