philosophicalparadox:philosophicalparadox:flora-gf:they hated this poor herb so fucking badCan you b
philosophicalparadox:philosophicalparadox:flora-gf:they hated this poor herb so fucking badCan you blame them? It tastes like bitter sadness and it is the least reliable plant you’ve probably never met. Its also poisonous to anything that isn’t a mammal and even then it causes such severe heartburn in mice that they can die from eating it by choking to death on their own vomit. Why. Why did we ever domesticate this unruly hellionI should also mention that it is in the Russian-roulette family of Apiaceae which includes the very famous and extremely poisonous Hemlock plant, with which it bears a close resemblance: As well as the also famous Cowbane or cow-killer, giant hemlock, water hemlock, etc. Which is, as the names suggest, a gigantic 10 foot tall version of this highly highly poisonous plant. The reason the family is a game of russian roulette though is because it did something strange all on its own and evolved both toxic species and non toxic or mildly toxic mimics, which is why you have Queen Anne’s Lace, a very edible parsnip like root, and poison Hemlock, which look virtually identical and yet could not be more different. Also in this family are parsnips, carrots, celery, rhubarb, and of course parsley. All of which are edible, to an extent, though parsnips and parsley still contain the deadly toxins of Hemlock, just in smaller amounts, which commonly trigger allergic reactions. Celery and Carrots are truly the only domesticated ones of them as well, and Rhubarb is still quite poisonous when raw. (Not that you could chew it anyway). Celery can also be quite toxic depending on where it is grown, since it’s basically a bog plant/semi aquatic and accumulates heavy metals into its stems and leaves. Meaning if you accidentally grow celery in ground or water that has lead or arsenic in it, the plants will suck it up and hold it in their edible parts - hence why it’s said to never eat wild (or feral/naturalized in the US and Mexico) celery. I had to take this opportunity to wig out about this family of plants because its just weird and poison hemlock is something i grew up with in Oregon, where it is inescapable. It grows in seas during the summer and is impossible to eradicate from even the most pristine flower beds. It’s a weed like no other and it’s extremely prone to making people break out in rashes. It was an integral part of my childhood and allots for a lot of my reverence and caution toward poisonous plants. -- source link