50 
Colorado Experiment Station 
yellowish, and make their appearance before the leaves. The fruit 
is spherical, red and covered with sticky hairs. The plant has an un¬ 
pleasant odor, especially when bruised. It grows at lower elevations 
throughout Colorado, seldom going above 7,000 feet. It is not brows¬ 
ed by animals, because of its objectionable odor. 
FALSE MALLOW (Malvastrum coccineum) 
This is a low, silvery-hairy plant, 4 to 8 inches high. Leaf shape 
is shown in fig. 31. The fiowers have a characteristic brick-red 
color. The plant grows in dry soil throughout the state, from 4,000 
to 9,000 feet elevation. Reports of poisoning by this plant have not 
been authenticated. Presumably, it is not poisonous. 
COWBANE, WATER HEMLOCK {Cicuta occidentalis) 
This very poisonous plant is a stout perennial, 3 to 7 feet tall. 
The stem is hollow, smooth, and green. The plant has a very char- 
Fig. 66.—Roots of water hemlock (Cicuta occidentalis). Note that the spindle-shaped 
roots are clustered; also observe the cross-partitions. 
