648 MANUAL OF POISONOUS PLANTS 



domestic animals. Parsley (Carum Petroselinum^=Peiroselinum hortense}, 

 native to the Mediterranean regions of Europe and Asia Minor, is used for 

 garnishing. Celery (Apium graveolens) is indigenous to Great Britain and 

 other European countries, and is found growing in low lands. There are two 

 types, the turnip rooted, cooked and eaten as a salad, and the blanched leaf 

 stalks. Celery was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. It is said that 

 in a wild state the plant is somewhat poisonous. Some people are known to be 

 sensitive to the cultivated plant. Dill (Anethum graveolens) , containing dill oil 

 and caraway (Carum Carvi), were known to the ancients. The essential oil of 

 caraway is obtained from the seed, which is used in Europe to flavor bread and 

 meats and contains carvol C 10 H 14 O. Dill (Peucedanum graveolens) is 

 commonly used in flavoring pickles and salads. Cummin seeds from Cuminuui 

 sativum resemble those of caraway in odor and taste. 



Many members of the order have medicinal properties. Among the more 

 important of these are the Indian pennywort (Centella asiatica), and poison hem- 

 lock (Conium maculatum), which contains the alkaloid coniin, which is deadly 

 poisonous. The caraway "seeds," fennel "seeds" (Foeniculum vulgare*), the 

 latter indigenous to the Caspian Sea regions, and yielding anethol, also contain 

 fenchone, trigonellin and cholin. 



The anise seeds (Pimpinella Anisum}, containing the oil of anise, are used 

 in confectionery. Asafoetida (Ferula Narthex) native to Thibet and western 

 Asia, obtained from the milky juice of this plant, is used in medicine, and by 

 the Persians as a condiment. The button snake root (Eryngium yuccae folium}, 

 the cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum), and the water hemlock (Cicuta macu- 

 lata), are common plants in the northern states. The leaves and roots of the 

 fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), used in southern Europe as table vegetables, and 

 in Germany to flavor bread and cakes, contain phellandrene C 10 H 16 and chav- 

 icol; lovage (Levisticum officinale) is found in salt marshes along the Atlantic 

 coast from Labrador to Connecticut and in Europe. The Arracacia .vanthor- 

 rhiza of Peru is much used in the Andes region. The same species, known in 

 Venezuela as Arracacha and introduced into Porto Rico, is said by Fairchild 

 to be one of the most important of food plants to the peon. The roots are 

 large and fusiform. The roots of sea holly (Eryngium maritimum) when cand- 

 ied, boiled or roasted resemble chestnuts in taste. Gum Galbanum is derived 

 from Ferula galbaniftua, and was used by the ancients for incense and per- 

 fumery. It contains cadinene and d-pinene. This is referred to in Exodus 

 25:10. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) contains coriandrol C JO H 1S O. Musk 

 root or Sumbul (Ferula Sumbul) contains umbelliferone C (J H 6 O, and angelic 

 acid C 5 H g O 2 used as an antispasmodic. The plant occurs in Asia. Sweet 

 Cicely (Osmorhisa longistylis) yields an oil similar to anise and contains 

 anethol. In the Umbelliferae the substance peucedone C 15 H 14 O 4 , occurs in the 

 roots of Imperatoria Ostruthium, and Peucedanum officinale; athamantin C 04 

 H 30 O ? , is found in Peucedanum Oreoselinum; laserpitin, C lg H 04 O 4 , is from 

 roots of Laserpitium latifolittm; pimpinellin is obtained from the roots of 

 Pimpinella Saxifraga. Oenanthe crocata contains oenanthotoxin somewhat sim- 

 ilar to cicutoxin; thymol is found in the fruit of a great many of the Umbelli- 

 ferae; cumin oil is secreted from the fruits of Cuminum Cyminum and other 

 plants of this order, and contains cymene; anise seed or anise fruit contains 

 anise oil which resembles that found in star anise; the Oenanthe Phellandrittm 



