poison hemlock? sweet cicely?

13 years ago

Hello, I'm quite sure it's not giant hogweed, but my skin is tingly despite the gloves (cotton) that I was wearing as I carefully cut this over 7' plant down. My initial guess ID going from pictures on the internet and one reference book was that it might be sweet cicely, (Myrrhis odorata) but now I'm thinking perhaps poison hemlock. It is in bloom right now with a lot of umbeliferous flowers like Queen Anne's Lace. There was a small mound of leaves last year, then this year it shot up. It's located at the edge of a large compost pile, in SW Ontario, Canada, on sandy soil, in a wet spring season and it has completely obscured the corner of the shed.

Thanks,

Heather

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Comments (3)

jeanne
13 years ago
That's poison hemlock for sure. Sweet cicely has already bloomed for the year and right now (at least in central Ohio) is nothing but sticks with seeds on them. they'll leaf out again later this summer.

Hope that helps.
blueiris3
Original Author
13 years ago
Hi Jeanne,
Thanks for the confirmation. I thought I was out of the woods but my skin has started tingling again this morning. I'll be staying out of the sun for 72 hours just to be safe. Apparently pretty much all of the umbelliferae have phyto-photo-toxicity. If you get sunlight on skin that has had contact you can get nasty chemical burns that can stain your skin long term and require creams from a dermatologist to lighten. Yikes! My skin is slightly allergic to several plants but this is a whole new level of plant self defense.
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#3 Sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata) might be a possibility too, though I'm not sure. It's been a while since I had that in my gardens and I may not be remembering clearly. I do remember however, that sweet cicely is a late spring bloomer - May in my zone. While poison hemlock is midsummer bloomer here (July). The bloom times you are going to have would match more with sweet cicely. By the way, sweet cicely also has a pleasant anise-like scent. Tasting anything from this plant is an **extremely** unwise idea - just DON'T do it! But you can give it a smell. Scents can be valuable in identifications. I would wait before destroying this one - especially if it is in a garden location for a more definitive ID. FataMorgana Here is a link that might be useful: Google Images - Myrrhis odorata
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fatamorgana2121
13 years ago
I've had burns from parsnip sap + sun. It was very painful and the burns were purplish but it cleared up without a trip to the doctor. Everyone is different so caution is best.

If it is hemlock, take the opportunity to tell and show the young people at your place exactly where it is, what it looks like, and what it does. A healthy respect and caution for such powerful and poisonous plants is good for everyone to learn. Even if you pull it out, it is possible for them to encounter it or other toxic plants. Use it as a teacher while you have it.

FataMorgana

poison hemlock? sweet cicely?

Comments (3)

jeanne

blueiris3
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poison hemlock? sweet cicely?

Comments (3)

jeanne

blueiris3Original Author

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blueiris3
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