190 THE RUSTIC LAITE AND WOODSIDE. 



The poison ivy, or climbiag sumach, is the only rival 

 of the Virginia creeper in our woods. It is even more 

 common iu open fields, and though less luxuriant, surpass- 

 es it in the beauty of its leaf It is a very pertinacious 

 parasite, adhering very closely to the object that supports 

 it, with its innumerable rootlets, but sustaining life only 

 by communication with the soil The growth of this 

 plant is discouraged on account of the liability of many 

 persons to be injuriously affected by its poisonous prop- 

 erties. Those who are not familiar with wild plants are 

 generally unable to distinguish the poison ivy from the 

 Virginia creeper. Their general appearance and habits 

 are nearly the same, but their leaves furnish a sure mark 

 of distinction. They are compound in each ; but those 

 of the Virginia creeper are in fives, those of the poison 

 ivy in threes, without exception. 



As we pass along the rustic lane, where it is involved 

 in deep shadow by a dense growth of shrubbery and vines 

 we see the woody nightshade adorning the mass with its 

 singular halberd-shaped leaves, its dark blue flowers with 

 a golden centre, and its pendent clusters of scarlet fruit. 

 I know but few plants of which so little has been said 

 that possess a greater share of beauty. There is a com- 

 mon prejudice against the woody nightshade, from its 

 supposed poisonous qualities, and from our habit of iden- 

 tifying it with the deadly nightshade of Europe. If our 

 plant has some poisonous qualities, they are not of a 

 dangerous character. All parts of it may be bruised 

 and handled with impunity, and its berries are so nau- 

 seous to the taste and smell that they are not liable to be 

 eaten. 



In the wild hedgerows that skirt our fields and farms, 

 made up of viburniun, elder, cornel, hazel, and wild 

 rose-bushes, the woody nightshade, in company with the 

 glycine, contributes greatly to the interest attached to 



