Poison Hemloc

Poison Hemloc

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
Roger Batt is on the warpath against the 67 types of noxious weeds in the state of Idaho but takes a minute to point out two that are particularly problematic.“Poison Hemlock is a noxious weed in Idaho and one of the most toxic plants in the Western Hemisphere in terms of being poisonous.” Noxious weed expert Roger Batt has new concerns this year as more and more Western Hemlock is being identified across the landscape of Idaho. “it likes water so that is where it prevalently grows. All parts of this plant are toxic. You do not want to eat any part of this plan or get any of the juice in your system because it can kill humans and animals alike. People often mistake this plant for parsley or dill. One of the best ways to tell poison hemlock from wild carrot or dill are these purple mottled spots that are on the stem. Dill and parsley do not have that so this is a huge indicator that this is poison hemlock.” Also recently identified as a growing nuisance, a noxious weed that many think is a decorative flower. “We have seen a lot of yellow flag Iris pop-up. That’s one of Idaho’s new noxious weeds. It is an escaped ornamental. It exists in Africa, Asia and Europe. It’s a beautiful flower and you can see why people want to put it in their landscaping or garden. But it is very invasive and chokes out the native vegetation. It hinders water from being capable of flowing.
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