^Ethusa ctnapium. Fool's Parsley, 



.^ETHUSA Linnet Gen. PL Pentani>ria Digynia. 



Raii Syn. Gen. u. Umbellifer;e Herbje. 

 j^THUSA (Cynapium) foliis conformibus. Lintuei Syfl. Ve^etab. p. 276. F/or. Sueck. t. o~ 

 iETHUSA. Haller. h'jl.n. 765. * ^"' 



CICUTA minor petrofelino fimilis. Bauhin. Pin. p. 160. 

 CTCUTARIA Apii folio. /. Bauhin. 

 CICUTARIA tenuifolia Gerard, emac. 1063. 

 CICUTA minor five fatua Parkinfon. 933. Ran Syn. p. 215. the leffer Hemlock or Fool's Parfley. Scopolt 



Fl. Carniol. p. 206. Hud/on Fl. Angl. p, I0 7. Hill's Britijb Herbal fmall Hemlock tab. 58. 



icon pejjima. 



!RADIX annua, fufiforrhis, albaj minimi digit i crajjitudine, ? 

 paucis fibris inftructa. | 



? 

 CAULIS pedalis adbipedalem, erectus, ramofus, ftriatns, % 



fiftulofus, glaucus, verfus bafinfaepe purpureus, | 



non vero maculatus*. | 



FOLIA radicalia et ramea conformia, lzevia, fuperne % 



atro-virentia, inferne pallidiora, nitentia, dupli- I 



cato-pinnata, pinnis pinnatifidis, profunde in- £ 



cifis, pinnulis ovato-acutis, mucronatis. Vaginae | 



ad bafin petiolorum parvae, lasves, marginibus ^ 



membranaceis. t 



PETIOLI ere&i, fulcath * 



UMBELLA univerfalis patens, radiis interioribus per & 



gradus brevioribus, intimis breviffimis ; partialis | 



Univerfali fimilis. f 



INVOLUCRUM univerfate nullum, parti ale dimidiatum, t 



extus pofitum, foliolis tribus longijjimis linearibus | 



pendulis, Jig. 1 . * 



COROLLA: Petala quinque, alba, obcordata, in- J 



asqualia, apice inflexa, exteriora majora, Jig. 2. J 



STAMINA: Fil amenta quinque, alba, longitudine | 



corollae, inflexa: Ant her je albae,nonnunquam £ 



rubellar, Jig. 3. | 



PISTILLUM : Germen inferum, glandula virefcente | 



coronatum : Styli duo, primum erecti, dein t 

 deflexi : Stigmata obtufa, Jig. 4. 



t 

 PERICARPIUM nullum : Fructus ovato-fubrotundus, & 



ftriatus, bipartibilis, jig. 5. 



SEMINA duo, pallide fufca, hinc convexa, profunde * 

 ftriata, hinc plana, figura ovato-acuta notata, I 



ROOT annual, tapering, of a white colour, about the 

 thicknejs oj the little finger, furnifhed with few 

 fibres. 



STALK from one to two feet high, upright, branched, 

 ftriated or (lightly grooved, hollow, covered 

 with a blueifh kind of powder which eafily 

 wipes off, towards the bottom frequently of a 

 purple colour, but not /potted. 



LEAVES : the bottom leaves and thofe of the branches 

 fimilar, fmooth, on the upper fide of a dark 

 green colour, underneath paler and mining, twice 

 pinnated, the leaves pinnatifid and deeply cut 

 in, the fmall leaves or pinnulae oval and termi- 

 nating in a fine point. The Sheaths at the 

 bafe of the foot-ftalks fmall, fmooth and mem- 

 branous at the edges. 



FOOT-STALKS of the flowers, upright and grooved. 



UMBEL: the univerfal umbel fpreading, the inner 

 radii gradually fhorter, the inmoft very fhort ; 

 the partial umbel like the univerfal. 



INVOLUCRUM : the universal Involucrum wanting, 

 the partial one placed externally, and only 

 furrounding one half of the umbel, compofedof 

 three very long, linear, and pendulous leaves, fig. 1. 



COROLLA: five unequal, heart-fhaped, white Petals, 

 bent in at top, the outer ones largeft, fig. 2. 



STAMINA : five white Filaments the length of the 

 Corolla, bending in: Anthers white, fome- 

 times reddifh, fig. 3. 



PISTILLUM : Germen placed below the corolla, and 

 crowned by a glandular fubftance of a greenifh 

 colour : two Styles firft upright, afterwards 

 bending downward : Stigmata blunt, fig. 4. 



SEED-VESSEL wanting : the Fruit or unripe feed of 

 an oval roundifh fhape, ftriated, and dividing 

 into two parts, fig. 5. 



SEEDS two, of a pale brown Colour, convex and deeply 

 ftriated on one fide, flat on the other, and 

 marked with a figure of an oval pointed fhape, 



ONE of the principal advantages refulting to mankind from Botany, is the rightly afcertainirig thofe plants 

 which are med for food, from thofe which are known to bepoifonous. It not unfrequently happens that both 

 thefe kinds of Herbs grow in the fame foil, nay often in the fame bed together, and fo fimilar are they in their gene- 

 ral appearance* that the indifcriminating eye of the common obferver readily miftakes the one for the other, and 

 hence difeafes fatal in their confluences fometimes enfue. To point out then the moft obvious diftinetions between 

 fuch kinds of plants, is not only our bufmefs but our duty. 



The FooVs Parjley feems generally allowed to be a plant which poflefTes poifonous qualities. 



Baron Haller has taken a great deal of pains to collect what has been faid concerning it, and quotes many 

 authorities _ to fhew that this plant (on being eaten) has been productive of the moft violent fymptoms, fuch as 

 anxiety, hickcou^a, and a delirium even for the fpace of three months, ftupor, vomiting, convuliions and death : 

 He fufpects however that the common Hemlock may fometimes have had a fhare in producing thefe fymptoms, as he 

 finds in authors that the Fool's Parfley had been u'fed by a whole family without any bad effect, although he ima- 

 gines this might be owing to the fmallnefs of the quantity eaten. As a corroborating proof of its deleterious quality, 

 LiNNiEus aflerts that itproves fatal to geefe if they happen to eat it. 



Altho' it feems rather ^ doubtful whether it be fo poifonous to mankind as is reprefented, yet it will perhaps be 

 moft prudent fo confider it as fuch, until future experiments mail determine its effects with more certainty. 



The plants to which this bears thegreateft refemblance, are common Garden Parjley and common Hemlock, Conium macu- 

 Iatum ', this fimilarity has been obferved by moft Botanic Writers, fome of whom have called it a kind ot Hemlock 

 others a kind of Parfley ; it differs however confiderably from both thefe Genera. The colour of its leaves alone,' 

 is nearly fufficient to diftinguifh it from Parfley ; thofe of common Parfley are of a yellowi/h green colour, thofe of Fool's 

 Parfley of a very dark green, and much more finely divided ; the leaves of Parfley when bruifed have a /rong but not 

 di/agreeable/mell, thofe of Fool's Parfley have very little fmell in them. Thefe marks if attended to are fufficient 

 to diftinguifh the leaves of thefe two plants, and in the ftate of leaves they are moft liable to be taken for one ' another, 

 as they grow together in Gardens. Where much Parfley is ufed, the Miftrefs of the houfe therefore would do' 

 well to examine the Herbs previous to their being made ufe of; but the beft precaution will be always to fow that 

 variety called curled Parfley, which cannot be miftaken for this or any other plant. 



It is diftinguifhed from Hemlock by being in every refpect fmaller, and not having that ftrong difagreeable fmell 

 which characterizes the leaves of that plant; the ftalk likewife is not fpotted as in the Hemlock; and laftly it is 

 diftinguifhed from all our umbelliferous plants by the three long, narrow, pendulous leaves which compofe its partial 

 Involucrum, and which are placed at the bottom of each of the fmall Umbels. 



It grows very common in Gardens, and all kinds of cultivated ground, and flowers in July and Auguft. 



