220 



THE AMEEICAN 



styles. The outer pair of glumes is sometimes 

 wanting, and iu some cases one of the inner 

 pair is either absent or imperfect. 



It is well to begin the study of grasses by 

 examining iirst the structure of some of those 

 having large flowers, as the common Oat {Avena 

 sativa, L.) Here if we take one of the smallest 

 spikelets, we find first a pair of large husks or 

 glumes, one of them at the bottom rather folds 

 over the other, and is afiixed to the stem or 

 rachis a little below it, hence it is called the 

 lower glume; the other is called the upper 

 glume. Just within these glumes will be seen 

 two or three flowers, in each of which we may 

 observe the two palets, and, if the specimen is 

 collected in flower, we will find the stamens 

 and styles, but if the ripe oat is examined we 

 shall find within the palets only a grain ; or, in- 

 deed, one of the two or three flowers may be 

 sterile or imperfect. 



A wild grass {Stipa spartea, Trin.) growing 

 on the native prairies and plains of the West, 

 and sometimes called Wild Oats, or Porcupine 

 grass, on account of the slender, twisted awn or 

 bristle, four to six inches long, which encloses 

 the seed, has very conspicuous glumes, one and 

 a half or two inches long; but very few of our 

 grasses have flowers of such magnitude, while 

 in some species the flowers are less than one line 

 in length. 



After acquiring familiarity with the floral 

 organs in some of the larger specimens, the 

 learner will have little trouble, with the aid of a 

 common lens, and of the excellent figures in 

 Gray's Manual, in getting an acquaintance with 

 any of the common grasses. We trust our 

 readers will improve the coming season in an 

 investigation of this subject. 



POISONOUS PLANTS. 



"At Walcott, in this couuty, on Monday even- 

 ing, Harry, aged 54 years, son of Dr. T.Byrnes, 

 and Willie, aged 7 years, son of ISii: Bardie, died 

 from eating the poisonous root known as wild 

 parsnip or Hemlock. The cliildren were play- 

 mates, and about six o'clock took a walk along 

 the railroad track, where they discovered the 

 plant, of which they ate. The first intimation 

 any one had of auytliing being wi'ong was about 

 seven o'clock, when httle Harry came home and 

 told Ms mother that Ms playmate, Willie Barche, 

 was dowu there (pointing to the railroad) sick. 

 He said, ' Willie staggers Uke a drunken man, 

 and he is sick, Mam, he is real sick ; and I feel 

 sick, too.' Dr. Byrnes, who was at home, over- 

 heard the remark, and, on looking, saw Willie 

 lying down upon the groimd. He immediately 

 requested Mr. Peck, station agent, to bring the 

 child to the house. This was done, but the poor 

 little fellow was then in a state of collapse, and 



soon went into violent convulsions, and died in 

 half an hour. Mrs. Byrnes, when apprised by 

 her little son that he was sick, consulted her hus- 

 band, and a strong emetic was given the cliild. 

 Being asked what he had eaten, he said, ' Only 

 two little roots about as big as my finger.' The 

 cMld continued to grow worse, and in a short 

 time was seized with convulsions, and, despite 

 all remedies, died at midnight." — Davenport 

 Gazette, April 20. 



It is now an appropriate time to give a word 

 of warning I'especting poisonous plants. Every 

 spring we And such accounts as tlie above in the 

 public prints, of cases of poisoning from the use ' 

 of roots which are mistaken for those of esculent 

 vegetables. 



A few years ago, we knew a strong, healthy 

 j^oung Norwegian, who, having found some roots 

 just beginning- to develop leaves, ate two or 

 three of them, under the belief that they were 

 parsmps. In an hour or two he was seized with 

 pain and vomiting, and before medical aid was 

 procured he was dead. The roots were those of 

 the Spotted Cowbane (C'icuta maculata, Jj.) , a 

 plant which occurs all over the country in low 

 moist grounds, and has been the occasion of 

 many cases of poisoning. 



Two years ago, several children near Centralia, 

 111., were poisoned from eating the roots of an- 

 other plant, which grows in the southern part of 

 the States of Oliio, Indiana and IlUnois, iu 

 similar situations with the preceding, and is 

 botanically called Eulophus Americanus, Nutt. 

 It has no defimte common name so far as we 

 know. 



These two plants belong to the Natural Order 

 Umbellif 67-06, or to the same family as the Cara- 

 way, Parsley, Carrot, ParsmiJ, &c. It embraces 

 many poisonous plants, among them the Poison 

 Hemlock (Conium maculatum, L.), the juice of 

 which, it is supposed, was employed by the 

 ancients iu the execution of criminals. 



Children should be cautioned against eating 

 any wild roots without the sanction of those who 

 are acquainted with them and know what they 

 are. We shall hereafter give some illustrations 

 of these poisonous plants. 



Western Botany.— A large portion of the 

 native vegetation of the States west of the Mis- 

 sissippi, and particularly of the great Plains of 

 Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, is not described 

 in the common Text-books of Botany. Hence 

 our friends in those sections will meet with dif- 

 ficulty in becoming acquainted with the plants 

 they meet with there. The names and descrip- 

 tions of such plants are contained in Pacific 

 Railroad Reports, and in published proceedings 

 of various scientific societies. 



