My baby brother has a whole bunch at his lake place. When I saw them blooming last week I figured I had to make sure and properly identify the plant.
It was not blooming last year because of the construction.
The big identifier on this plant is that the veins in the leaves end at the notches in between the teeth.
It is the root that is poisonous...it is long like a carrot and if eaten will kill you.
Far Side
After some more research all parts of the plant are poisonous, some people have died after game birds ingested the seeds from Water Hemlock...and they ate the game birds and died.
That and giant cow parsley are very poisonous. The parsley looks similar to this, but it's bigger and has purple streaks on its stalks. And they look so innocuous! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to know that one should not eat it. There are so many similar plants, weeds, that one would have to look it up. Does the brother stay year round or is he just a summer visitor?
ReplyDeleteHe comes and goes all year round:)
DeleteGreat ID! I know we have all sorts of wild flowers here. I like the parsnip roots in the spring and fall, good eating, but the plant is not human friendly.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the makings of a great murder mystery.
ReplyDeleteI must check and see if we have that plant here.
ReplyDeleteWe have something similar looking but I'm not sure if it is the same plant as it has yellow flowers.
ReplyDeleteWhat have that nasty stuff here. It floats down on the canals and lodges all along the way. Terrible stuff.
ReplyDeleteWow! You really know a lot about all these plants! There are a lot of bad ones out there that look so innocent.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's the root that's poisonous. They sure look pretty, though. :)
ReplyDeleteWater hemlock grows all over down here in the roadsides and ditches. I didn’t know it was only the root that was poisonous.
ReplyDeleteI have found out that all parts of the plant are poisonous.
DeleteWe have lots of plants by the lake that look very similar. Tomorrow when I walk I'll bring back a stalk with leaves and check if I can identify it. The blooms look identical.
ReplyDeleteIt looks so pretty. It's hard to believe it's poisonous. Thanks for the education. :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
Well, then don't eat the root, but can we pick it to put in a bouquet? it is very pretty.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't bring it into my house:)
DeleteI've seen it around construction sites and unmown areas (wetlands and such). It's supposed to be toxic here, too, but it sure seems to be ignored. I don't touch any plant I don't recognise. Thanks for your info, Far Side! ♥
ReplyDeleteHoly Cow! There are all kinds of plants around here that look like that....not that I planned on eating any but still. The story about the game birds sounds like something out of an Agatha Christie novel. Are they going to make a movie out of it?
ReplyDeleteThe water hemlock looks familiar but I don't think I've ever heard about it being poisonous. So interesting!
ReplyDelete