How to Tell a Poisonous Hemlock From a Harmless Flower As Invasive Species Spread
Let’s say you went out for a walk in late summer and stumbled upon a patch of familiar-looking flowers with long, thin stems and tiny white flowers that grow in round bunches. It looks like this Queen Anne lace is a flowering plant that you saw in flower arrangements and may have made crowns as a child.
But they can also be poisonous hemlock, and this is not the chance you want to take. Let’s take a look at the differences between Queen Anne’s lace and the venomous hemlock, an invasive species currently spreading across the country.
What is Poisonous Hemlock?
The poison hemlock is not native to the United States, but has been growing across the country since someone brought it from Europe in the 1800s to use as an ornamental flower, according to Michigan State University . Unfortunately, any ornamental use of the plant is overshadowed by the fact that it is an invasive species that is toxic to humans, pets, livestock and other animals.
The difficulty lies in the fact that, like other representatives of the carrot family, the poisonous hemlock sprouts a white umbrella – a group of small flowers that grow together from several short stems and resemble an umbrella. Of all the members of its family, the Poison Hemlock most closely resembles the wild carrot, also known as Queen Anne’s Lace, and is also fairly common.
How to tell a poisonous hemlock from Queen Anne’s lace
Poisonous hemlock and Queen Anne’s lace are not only similar to each other, but are also biennial, with only leaves in the first year, white flowers and thousands of seeds in the second year, and then die. Now let’s take a look at the differences, courtesy of the Michigan State University extension :
Flowering period
- Poisonous Hemlock : June to August.
- Queen Anne’s Lace : July to September
Stems
- Poisonous Hemlock: Hollow green stems with purple spots.
- Queen Anne’s Lace: Solid Green Stems
Leaves
- Poisonous hemlock : bare leaves
- Queen Anne’s lace : fine hairs on the leaves
Smell
- Poisonous Hemlock: Has an unpleasant odor when crushed.
- Queen Anne’s lace : roots smell like carrots
Height
- Poisonous Hemlock: 6-10 feet in adulthood.
- Queen Anne’s Lace: 1-2 feet in adulthood.
How Poisonous Hemlock Can Cause Disease
Every part of the poisonous hemlock plant is toxic to humans (and animals) if swallowed, explains Michigan State University’s expansion . So definitely don’t eat it and make sure the kids don’t know about it either.
On top of that, poison hemlock juice contains a phototoxic compound that you don’t want to get on your skin as it can cause hypersensitivity to ultraviolet radiation, leading to blistering after sun exposure. Fortunately, this is not a poison ivy situation where a light touch of the leaves can trigger a terrible reaction. Instead, the sap of the poisonous hemlock is only found inside the stem. However, it is best not to touch it at all.