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Species
Information
- poison
hemlock
- Conium
maculatum L.
- USDA
Symbol: COMA2
- Oregon
Noxious Weed Designation: B
- Pictures
Identification:
Biennial; blooms early summer. Grows 3 to 7 feet tall. Stems erect. Leaves alternate, one per node, petioled and pinnately divided. Flowers are white in compound stemmed umbels, mostly flat on top. Enlarged taproot is the most easily recognizable feature.
Impacts: Poison hemlock is a native of Eurasia that grows in pastures, streams, and irrigation ditches. Juice from this taproot is extremely poisonous! An extract of this species was used to execute Socrates in ancient Greece. It has also accidentally poisoned many who have mistaken it for parsley. Poison hemlock is considered to be one of the most poisonous plants in North America, and is often mistaken for water-parsnip or other edible members of this family. Several deaths of livestock and humans are attributed each year to this species.
Biological
Controls: No approved biological control agent is available.
Oregon
Maps of Poison Hemlock Distribution
Links:
USDA
Plants Database information on poison hemlock
GRIN
Database information on poison hemlock
Oregon Department
of Agriculture information on poison hemlock
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