CE N A N T H E. - 409 
diftar.t from each other. Umbellets roundifh, clofe, con¬ 
vex. Linnaeus remarks, that the firft umbel is trifid, the 
reft multifid, infomuch that, when the fumnler is ad¬ 
vanced, the plant might be fuppofed different from the 
vernal one. General involucre either wholly wanting 
or of one leaf, but faid fometimes to have five leaves: the 
partial involucre confifts of feveral leaves, or perhaps ra¬ 
ther of one leaf divided into three, five, or even ten, (hort 
lanceolate fegments. Petals white, in the ray larger, un¬ 
equal; in the difkfmaller, regular,(lightly bifid. Stamens 
three or four times as long as the corollets, and giving the 
umbellets a feathery appearance: the umbellets, when 
in fruit, are globular, and hifpid all over with the fpread- 
ing ftyles. Fruit inverfely pyramidal, fubpentagonal, 
grooved, alternate grooves thicker; ventral part flat; 
outer integument fungous, thick. 
The finell of the plant is unpleafant, and the tafte hot 
and naufeous, as in many of the umbellate plants. The 
root is faid to be poifonous ; to have killed a dog within 
three days ; and that, out of feventeen Corfican foldiers 
who had eaten it, three died, the reft being cured by eme¬ 
tics. Linnaeus affirms that kine and horfes refute it, 
though on experiment it did not appear to be noxious to 
the former. Schreber informs us that it is left untouched 
by cattle ; and that feems to be the cafe with us. The 
feed is (lightly aromatic. So little were deleterious ef¬ 
fects fufpe&ed in this plant, that it was recommended 
formerly, in common with many umbellate plants, as a 
diuretic, and good in the ftoneand gravel: but Linnaeus’s 
is a good general rule, that aquatics of this natural order, 
if notabfolutely poifonous, are at leatf to be diftrufted. It 
is a native of molt parts of Europe, in ponds, ditches, by 
river-fides, in wet meadows and marflies ; flowering in 
June and July. 
2. Oenanthe peucedanifolia, or fulphur wort-leaved 
water-dropwort: all the leaves linear, root-leaves bi- 
pinnate, ftem-leaves pinnate, univerfal involucre none, 
tubers of tjie root ovate fefiile. The root of this, which 
has been confidered as a variety of the preceding, is com- 
pofed of many cylindric-ovate white fefllle tubers, col¬ 
lected into a bunch, each terminating in a white fibre at 
the bafe. Stem ' upright, about eighteen inches high; 
bright green, except at the bafe, where it is red, iinooth, 
grooved, dichotomous, jointed. Leaves alternate, flieath- 
ing, triangular, four or five inches long and three inches 
wide ; the lower bipinnate, the upper (imply pinnate, 
with all the fegments linear-lanceolate quite entire, on 
the uppermoft leaves longer and direfted to one fide ; all 
bright green and fmooth. 
Dr. Withering, who confiders this only as a variety of 
the preceding, fays that in the plants which he got in the 
Ille of Wight, and which correfpond with Pollich’s 
figure, the leaflets are three or four inches long, whereas 
in the preceding they are rarely more than half or three 
quarters of an inch in length. The bulbs of the roots 
feetn to vary their fituation as the plant grows in more 
or lefs water, in a thin or a (tiff mud, or in a garden-foil; 
fo that their being placed in a bundle at the bottom of 
the ftem, or on the fibres of the roots at a greater or lefs 
diftance, are circumftances too variable to eftablifh a 
character. Pollich obferved it in the Palatinate, about 
Lauteren every-where in moilt meadows, behind Sene- 
bach in driermeadows,and aboutCufel; floweringin June. 
Haller and de Sauflure found it in Swiflerland. Dodo- 
nseus fays it is common in brooks, ditches, and marfhes ; 
and that it will flourilh in gardens even where it is not 
very moift ; but that it is then (mailer and (horter. Par- 
kinfon remarks that it flowers and feeds earlier than the 
other ; and indeed that this is ufually pall before the 
greater fort is in flower. Dr. Plot obferved it in the 
ditches about Medley and Binfey-common, and almoft 
every-where about Oxford ; Blackftone on Wandfworth- 
common, Harefield-river, and Ham-abbey, Eflex ; and 
the late Dr. John Sibthorp, on the banks of the Ills be- 
Vol. XVII. No. 1186. 
yond Ifley, and on peat-bogs under Headington Wick 
copfe. 
3. Oenanthe crocata, or hemlock water-dropwort: 
all the leaves many-cleft, blunt, nearly equal. This 
fpecies commonly grows four or five feet high, with 
ftrong jointed (talks, which, being broken, emit a yei- 
lowiili fetid juice. The leaves are fomewhat like thole 
of common hemlock, but of a lighter green colour. 
The roots divide into four or five larger taper ones, 
which, w’hen feparated, have fome refembiance to parfnips, 
for which fome ignorant perfons have boiled them. It is 
a native of (everal parts of Europe, principally Holland, 
France, and England, on the banks of large ditches, ri¬ 
vers, and lakes: as on the banks of the Thameis both 
above and below London ; by the fide of Lewilham-river, 
beyond the water-works ; in marftiy meadows between 
South End and Sydenham ; in Norwood plentifully ; be¬ 
tween Loompit-hill and Lewiiham ; near Dulwich Col¬ 
lege ; in the Hie of Dogs the ditches.are covered with it. 
In ditches about Kendal in Weftmoreland, where it is 
called dead-tongue; between Biftiop’s Auckland and 
Wollingham, and near Stockton ; Bent Bogs, near Man- 
chelter race-ground; pear Buys-water in Oxfordlhire; 
near Dartford in Kent; near Bath and Bridgewater in 
Somerfetffiire ; in Wales : and Mr. Ray fays that it grows 
abundantly, not only in our northern counties, but in 
Surrey, Sufiex, &c. in the fouth. It flowers in June and 
July. 
Gerard, from Lobel, (ays that “ this plant has a 
naughty favour, a ltrong and grievous finell, a hot biting 
tafte, being full of a juice, at firft milky, but afterwards 
turningyellow. It much refembleth hemlock in property 
and qualities : for, being eaten in fallads, it did well nigh 
poifon thofe who ate of it, making them giddy, waxing 
very pale, daggering and reeling like drunken men.” 
Johnfon adds : “ Pernitious and not excufable is the ig¬ 
norance of fome of our time (1633), that have bought 
and (as one may probably conjecture) ufed the roots of 
this plant initead of thofe of peonie ; and I know they 
are dayly, by the ignorant women in Cheape-fide, fold to 
people more ignorant than themfelves, by the name of 
water-lavage.” Ray, in his Hiftory (1686), (peaks doubt¬ 
fully of the malignity of hemlock water-dropwort, and 
leaves it to farther examination ; but in the third edition 
of the Synopfis (1724.), it is faid, that no doubt remains of 
the poifonous quality of thefe roots ; and reference is 
made to the German Ephemerides, and the Obfervations 
of Stalp. vander Wiel. Dr. Withering fays the whole.of 
this plant is poifonous ; and Dr. Pulteney remarks, that 
the root is the mod virulent of all the vegetable poifons 
that Great Britain produces. Many inftances of its fa¬ 
tal effeCls are recorded, wherein it has been eaten for wa- 
ter : par(nips, or celery, which laft it refembles in its 
leaves. Mr. Lightfoot relates, that he had heard the late 
Mr. Ehret, the botanic painter, fay, that while he was 
drawing this plant, the fmell rendered him fo giddy, 
that he was feveral times obliged to quit the room, and 
walk out in the fre(h air to recover himfelf; but that, 
having opened the door and windows of the room, the 
free air enabled him to finifh his work. Mr. Lightfoot 
adds, that he has feen a large fpoonful of the juice of 
this plant given to a dog, which made him very tick, 
and ftupid, but in about an hour he recovered ; and 
that he has feen a goat eat it with impunity: (heep alfo 
are faid to eat it; kine and horfes to refufe it. 
An infufion'of the leaves, or three tea-fpoonfuls of the 
juice of the root, taken every morning, eftefted a cure 
in a very obftinate cutaneous dileafe, but not without 
occafioning very great difturbances in the conftitution. 
The country-people in Weftmoreland apply a poultice of 
the herb to the ulcer which forms in the fore-part of the 
cleft of the hoof in horned catttle, and is called the foul. 
It may be fafely ufed externally; but internally it fliould 
be taken with caution, as is evident from the accounts 
5 M. given 
