Family Herbal - Electric Scotland

FAMILY HERBAL. 117
common under hedges ; and in the earlier part of
the year makes a pretty appearance. People might
very naturally be tempted to eat of it among other
spring herbs, for there is nothing forbidding in its
aspect ; and what is much worse, the authors most
likely to be consulted on such an occasion, might
lead those into it, whom they ought to have guarded
against it.
It is about a foot high, and has but few leaves,
but they are large. The stalk is round, thick,
whitish, pointed, and a little hairy ; the leaves
stand principally toward the top, four, five, or six,
seldom more : they are long and considerably
broad, sharp -pointed, notched about the edges, and
a little hairy. The flowers- are inconsiderable : they
stand in a kind of spikes at the tops of the stalks ;
and the seeds are on separate plants, they are double
and roundish. The herb has been from this
divided into two kinds, male and female, but they
have in earlier time given the distinctions of the sex
wrong. Those which bear the spikes of flowers,
are the male plants ; the others, notwithstanding
any accidental resemblance, female.
There is not a more fatal plant, native of our
country, than this ; many have been known to
die by eating it boiled with their food ; and probably
many also, whom we have not heard of: vet
the writers of English Herbals, say nothing of this.
Gerard, an honest and plain writer, but ignorant
as dirt, says, it is thought they agree with the
other mercuries in nature. These other mercuries
are eatable ; therefore, who would scruple on this
account, to eat also this. Johnson, who put forth
another edition of this book, and called it Gerard
Emaculated, from the amending the faults of the
to contradict it : but
original author, says nothing
after gome idle observations upc-u other herbs of the