50 
Injurious Fodder and Poisonous Plants. 
VI. B.* — Anthriscus vulgaris Pers. (Beaked Parsley). 
Stem: erect, 1 ft. to 2 ft. high, smooth. Leaves : thrice 
pinnate, with blunt segments. Flowers : white, in short 
stalked umbels. May. Place of growth: waste ground. 
Annual. 
Qualities : The juice of this plant contains a poisonous 
principle, somewhat milder than hemlock and less narcotic. 
VI. c. — Gonium maculatum L. (Hemlock). Stem: hair- 
less, covered with brownish or blackish purple spots, 3 ft. to 5 ft. 
high, erect, round hollow. Leaves : finally divided, smooth. 
Flowers: white, in partial umbels. June and July. Place 
of growth: hedges, orchards, waste and cultivated ground. 
Biennial. 
Qualities: A plant well known for its highly poisonous 
properties. One of the first symptoms noticeable is dilatation 
of the pupil, followed by weakness of the limbs, passing into 
paralysis, the hind limbs being affected prior to the fore. 
Later the muscles of the chest and the midriff are affected, and 
the breathing becomes laboured ; the action of the heart is 
very irregular, though it continues beating long after the 
breathing has stopped. Death is preceded by slight convulsions 
or twitchings of the muscles. Some writers report that though 
this plant is dangerous, it is by no means so poisonous as water 
hemlock. 
Solanaceae. Prevailing qualities : intoxicant and 
depressing to the heart. 
VI. D. — Solanum nigrum L. (Black Nightshade). Stem : 
herbaceous, 1 ft. to 2 ft. high. Leaves: egg shaped, wavy at 
the margin, bluntly toothed. Flowers : white, in small 
drooping bunches springing from the intermediate spaces 
between the leaves. July to September. Berries: black, 
globular. Place of growth: waste ground. Annual. 
VII. A. — Solanum Dulcamara L. (Bitter Sweet). Stem: 
shrubby, straggling. Leaves : heart shaped, the upper ones 
eared at the base. Flowers: in loose drooping tufts, purple, 
two green spots at the base of each segment, with large yellow 
anthers. June and July. Berries: egg shaped, scarlet. 
Place of growth: woods and hedges. Perennial. 
VII. B. — Atropa Belladonna L. (Deadly Nightshade). 
Stem: herbaceous, 1 ft. to 3 ft. high. Leaves : broadly egg 
shaped, entire. Flowers : purple, solitary, axillary, on short 
stalks, drooping. June and July. Berries : violet and black. 
Place of growth: waste places, rather uncommon. 
Perennial. 
* The figures and letters in front of the names refer to the plate and 
illustration. 
