Putting on my Advanced Master Gardener hat today to show you the danger lurking in many areas, usually near water. Poison hemlock, Conium maculatum. All parts of the plant are highly poisonous to people and animals. Ingestion of even small amounts may result in death. I get nervous looking at it, but here it is.
OK, so it’s kinda pretty and it looks a lot like other pretty plants commonly found in the Treasure Valley that we LIKE. Such as wild carrot, also called Queen Anne’s lace, Daucus carota.
[By i_am_jim – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0]
If you aren’t aren’t sure, steer clear. More details about identification at ravensroots.com
Here are closeups of hemlock I took yesterday at the University of Idaho Master Gardener office. Outside, of course. The purple spots on the stems are a solid hemlock clue.
Another related plant that grows in the same areas where you might find hemlock and wild carrot, is sweet cicely, Osmorhiza claytonii.
Notice there are no purple blotches on the stems. In addition, this plant smells nice. A light licorice scent. Hemlock smells ‘mousy.’
Whenever you have a plant question, you can bring a sample to the Ada County Master Gardener office on Glenwood. The Diagnostic Clinic is open Monday-Wednesday, 9 am to 3 pm. Please put samples in plastic bags, especially if you suspect a dangerous plant.
~Debbie