Poison Hemlock. 



{Conium maculaturn L.) 



This is a European plant that has become naturalized in waste 

 places throughout the Eastern States in particular, but to some extent 

 South and West. It is, like the previous species, a member of the 

 parsley family, but is distinguished from the cicuta by many minor 

 differences. The hollow, smooth stem bears large parsley-like leaves, 

 which, when bruised, have a mousy odor and very unpleasant taste. 

 In Figure 2 (Plate I.) is shown a portion of the conium plant with 

 its very large, much- compounded leaves by which it is easily dis- 

 tinguished from the cicuta placed alongside of it in the plate. 



The active conine pervades the whole plant, and was the poison 

 employed by the Greeks in putting prisoners to death, Socrates being 

 one of its illustrious victims. Of recent date the cases of fatal poison- 

 ing by the conium are not numerous, but its seeds when mistaken 

 for anise have produced sad effects. The roots are nearly harmless 

 during the spring months, when there is the most likelihood of chil- 

 dren or others eating them, but later become very poisonous. 



As with cicuta, the victim needs the prompt assistance of the 

 physician, who may effect speedy removal of the poison from the 

 digestive tract and administer subcutaneous injections of atropine, as 

 recommended by Mr. Chesnut.* 



It would not be a difficult matter to eradicate this plant in the 

 ordinary way for weeds generally. 



Some of the local names for this dreaded plant (Conium maculaturn 

 L. ) are "poison snakeweed," " wode whistle," "poison root," 

 "stinkweed " and " wild hemlock." Nearly the same list of names 

 is used for this as for the cicuta previously considered. 



Wild Parsnip. 



There have been many fatal cases of poisoning charged to the wild 

 parsnip (Pastinaca sativaL.), which is the same species as the one 

 under cultivation and grows wild as a tall, coarse-leaved plant in 

 waste places quite generally. The thorough investigation of several 

 such cases have all resulted in fixing the toxic effects upon some 

 other species that had been eaten along with or instead of the parsnip, 

 usually the water hemlock. A full consideration of this subject is 



*" Principal Poisonous Plants of the United States," by V. K. Chesnut, Bulletin 

 No. 20, United States Department of Agriculture, Division of Botany. 



