40 



cockle. The fruit of the California buckeye (Aesculus californica) is 

 sometimes made into soup and bread by the Round Valley Indians 

 after removing the poison by roasting and leaching. The fruit of all 

 the species furnishes an excellent grade of starch when properly treated. 

 The roots and fruit of some have been sometimes used in place of soap. 



CARROT FAMILY (APIACEAE). 



WATER HEMLOCK. 

 Cicuta maculata L. 



Other names : American water hemlock ; wild hemlock ; spotted hem- 

 lock; spotted parsley; snakeweed; beaver poison; musquash root; 



muskrat weed; cowbane; spot- 

 ted cowbane; children's bane; 

 death of man. (Fig. 21.) 



Description and habitat. — A 

 smooth, erect, perennial, 3 to 8 

 feet high, with a rigid, hollow 

 stem, numerous branches, finely 

 dissected leaves, white flowers, 

 and a cluster of spindle-shaped 

 roots, which vary in length from 

 li to 3 inches, and are very 

 characteristic of the plant. It 

 grows commonly in swamps and 

 damp soil, throughout the At- 

 lantic States, westward to Lou- 

 isiana, Iowa, and Minnesota; 

 much less commonly northwest- 

 ward through Nebraska, to the 

 Rocky Mountains, and in New 

 Mexico. 



Poisonous property. — Its poi- 

 sonous property resides in an 

 aromatic, oily fluid, which is 

 found chiefly in the root, but 

 also in the stem, seeds, and 

 leaves. Its true chemical na- 

 ture is not exactly known, but 

 it is highly probable that it contains the alkaloid conine, and the bitter 

 principle cicutoxiu, the latter of which is characteristic of the European 

 water hemlock ( Cicuta virosa). Both are powerful poisons, but the latter 

 is the more violent and produces most of the symptoms characteristic 

 of the plant. The American water hemlock is one of the most poison- 

 ous plants native to the United States. Its victims include both man 



s\ 



Fig. 21. — Water hemlock (Cicuta maculata), showing 

 section of spindle-shaped roots and lower stem, the 

 leaves, flowers, and fruit, one-half natural size; also 

 fruit and cross section of seed, enlarged five times. 



