[Illustration: Baneberry, snakeberry
_Actaea rubra and Actaea alba--RANUNCULACEAE_]
=Description=: The red and white baneberries are perennial herbs found
in woodlands and occasionally as showy plants in gardens. Leaves are
large on many branches and resemble those of the wildcurrant. The small
flowers are white in spring. Plants generally grow about 1 to 2 feet in
height. The attractive parts are the red or white berries which develop
during summer and early autumn. They are in clusters on terminal flower
stalks, each on a conspicuous short fleshy pedicel. Children have been
poisoned by eating the berries.
=Poisonous Parts=: The root stock, sap, and berries. These produce
marked irritation of the stomach and intestines causing nausea and
violent purgation. If absorbed, the acrid principles can affect the
heart, increase the pulse rate, and cause dizziness. Fatalities have
been reported.
=Antidote=: Call your doctor. Have patient vomit. Physicians perform
gastric lavage and treat gastric inflammation and circulatory failure.