Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms - the North American Guide
Once in a while a really good reference book comes along that should be on every library's shelf. Most adults avoid eating unidentified plants but we are all being nudged to be more aware of which plants can be harmful to our pets and children. I grow several plants that I know are poisonous - castor beans, iris, oleander, many houseplants, and nightshades such as tomatoes and potatoes. But we don't have pets or children on our place eating random leaves or tubers. We also have regular outbreaks of mushrooms on our property - we don't eat any of those either because we don't know the difference between the harmless ones and the ones that would make us sick. A couple of years ago when I went flower picking to make Queen Anne's Lace jelly, the boggy area where it grew was also host to hemlock that is awfully similar. I had to memorize the details of each flower structure to ensure a poison free product. This well-illustrated reference would be helpful to all of us who...