Conium maculatum

Safety & Hazards

A very poisonous plant, the toxins are especially concentrated in the seed[ 1 Title RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Publication Author F. Chittendon. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1951 ISBN - Description Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]). , 7 Title Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Chiej. R. Publisher MacDonald Year 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5 Description Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs. , 10 Title Poisonous Plants and Animals. Publication Author Altmann. H. Publisher Chatto and Windus Year 1980 ISBN 0-7011-2526-8 Description A small book, reasonable but not very detailed. , 19 Title Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Stary. F. Publisher Hamlyn Year 1983 ISBN 0-600-35666-3 Description Not very comprehensive, but easy reading. , 62 Title A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Publication Author Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. Publisher Van Nostrand Reinhold Year 1982 ISBN 0442222009 Description Very readable. , 76 Title Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. Publication Author Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. Publisher HMSO Year 1984 ISBN 0112425291 Description Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock. ]. The stems contain up to 0.06% of the toxic alkaloids, the leaves between 0.03 and 0.8%, the flowers from 0.09 to 0.24% and the green fruit from 0.73 to 0.98%[ 240 Title Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Publication Author Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Publisher Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. Year 1986 ISBN - Description Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader. ]. The toxins, however, are very volatile and decompose readily[ 65 Title A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. Publisher Wolfe Year 1984 ISBN 0723408394 Description Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far. ], especially when the plant is dried or cooked[ 4 Title A Modern Herbal. Publication Author Grieve. Publisher Penguin Year 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 Description Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants. ]. The toxins paralyse the respiratory nerves, causing death by suffocation[ 238 Title Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Publication Author Bown. D. Publisher Dorling Kindersley, London. Year 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31 Description A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant. ]. Children have been known to die after using the hollow stems as blowpipes[ 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. The poisonous nature of the plant varies considerably, with many people believing that the plant is less toxic when grown in cooler climates[ 268 Title The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Publication Author Stuart. M. (Editor) Publisher Orbis Publishing. London. Year 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2 Description Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs. ].