Hemlock,
Poison
Hemlock,
Poison, common name for poisonous herbs belonging to two
different genera of the parsley
family.
Hemlock,
or poison hemlock, is a large, coarse, unpleasant-smelling
plant, all parts of which are poisonous and may be fatal
if eaten. It is the poison hemlock that was used to put
Socrates to death.
Native
to Europe, the plant is now naturalized in the United States
and occurs as a luxuriant weed, up to 3 m (10 ft) tall,
along roadsides and in abandoned fields.
The
dark-green leaves are divided and redivided into small,
ovate, toothed segments. The hollow stems are characteristically
blotched with purple. The small white flowers are grouped
into flat-topped clusters called umbels.
The
poisonous principles in hemlock are alkaloids that affect
the nervous system and induce trembling, loss of coordination,
and paralysis of respiration.
The
second type of poison hemlock are the water hemlocks, such
as musquash root, related botanically to poison hemlock
but toxicologically entirely different. The roots and, to
a much lesser extent, the foliage contain a complex unsaturated
alcohol that brings on convulsions. The roots grow in clusters
of dahlialike tubers that are about 5 cm (about 2 in) long.
The amount of root that must be eaten to cause death is
very small.
The
plant grows in swamps, along streams, and in other moist
locations. The foliage, which arises in early spring in
a cluster from the roots, is divided and redivided into
leaflets with regularly pointed and notched edges. A central
vein runs the length of each leaflet. From it, secondary
veins run toward the edge, ending in or near the notches
of the leaf rather than in the points.
Scientific
classification:
-
Poison hemlocks belong to the family Apiaceae (formerly
Umbelliferae).
- Hemlock,
or poison hemlock, is classified as Conium maculatum and
- musquash
root as Cicuta maculata.
"Hemlock,
Poison" Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com
© 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
