WHITE AND GREENISH WILD FLOWERS 
country children because of their pleasant, anise- 
flavoured odour and taste. Greatest caution should 
be exercised in collecting, handling, or eating any part 
of this plant without positive knowledge of its iden- 
tity, as it strongly resembles the exceedingly poison- 
ous Water Hemlock, which has caused fatal results. 
Sweet Cicely is an earlier bloomer, however, and blos- 
soms during May and June. Its upright stalk is 
widely branched and grows from one to three feet in 
height. The large, fern-like leaf has three prom- 
inent, pointed-oval divisions that are again deeply 
cut and notched with irregularly toothed margins. 
The leaves are thin-textured and dark green in colour, 
and the lower ones have long stems. The small 
white flowers are five-petalled, and are borne in few- 
rayed, long-stemmed, flat-topped clusters. The long 
seeds are armed with two sharp, spreading points. 
Sweet Cicely is a tall, loose, and rather sparingly foliaged 
plant, of graceful growth. From it oil of anise has been 
distilled. It is found in rich, moist woods from 
Alabama, Tennessee, and Kansas northward. 
WATER HEMLOCK. MUSQUASH ROOT. SPOTTED 
COWBANE. BEAVER POISON 
Cicista maculata. Carrot Family. 
This is one of the most poisonous plants native 
to the United States, and particular attention should 
be given to establish its identity that it may not be 
confused with the Sweet Cicely, or Wild Carrot. It 
has been thought that this species is identical with 
280 
