Poison Hemlock is growing like wildfire all over NY state!

Eye of newt

[quote]It looks like any other harmless weed and according to this article

Glad we're not relying on you for any specific assistance, since all harmless or harmful weeds and plants do not look liKe any other except to the blind and the lazy.

Cliches can kill.

Jesus, it looks like Queen Anne’s Lace. I’ve seen it in my neighborhood.

Okay, probably not: QA Lace has a hairy stem, PH stem is smooth. It also grows to 6’-10’ tall and does not have that single purple flower in the center.

I'm a sumac.

Oh please. OP and that article are really ALARMIST. THE WRITERS ARE SCARED AND CONCERNED YOU ARE GOING TO BURN TO DEATH FROM THE TOXINS.

I grew up in the Hudson Valley. Poison Hemlock is dangerous to eat. Nobody eats it. Very rarely is it a problem to touch. And if it is a problem, it's a rash. Most people are non reactive.

OP YOU ARE FULL OF SHIT. You have confused this with hogweed.

Here's a good article on how to safely remove it from your property (it's also been spreading over the whole rust belt/midwest but not as rapidly as NY state this year.

These are instructions for how to cut it down, but I still say the safest way is to just nuke it with herbicide.

R6 I'm not mistaking it with anything. I didn't say anything that article and multiple others (including a recent one in axios stated). Simply googling poison Hemlock yields many, many sites confirming every claim made in the OP article.

Of course no one is going to intentionally eat it, but if you're just casually pulling weeds with bare hands and yank a few out without knowing what it is, or chop it up while mowing the lawn, it CAN make you deathly ill and even cause heart failure. It is just as poisonous to pets, so it's good for anyone in the state to be able to correctly identify it.

I would pull it out with my bare hands - we used gloves. I wouldnt burn it or put it in compost. Don't let it overtake your yard, especially if you have pets. But you make it sound like people are dropping like flies. HOGWEED is super dangerous.

Here: Reading is fundamental: This is real science: While looking at the plants or touching them is generally not hazardous, all parts of poison hemlock are toxic if ingested by humans and it is infamously known as the form of death chosen by Socrates. It is also highly toxic to livestock and wildlife. More information can be found about its toxicity at Poison Control.

Poison hemlock Lacy leaves and white flowers of poison hemlock are often confused with wild carrot. Photos by Eric Anderson, MSU Extension. The phototoxic compounds, furanocoumarins, that cause blisters in those who touch giant hogweed are also present in the sap of all other plants in the carrot family, including poison hemlock. Contact with the sap can cause sensitivity to UV light from the sun, resulting in blisters. The difference is that people are much less likely to encounter the sap on carrot family species other than giant hogweed as it is inside the stem, whereas on giant hogweed it is also present on the exterior.

If you find any poison hemlock in your yard or pasture, you can dig up plants, including the tap roots, for removal. Given the reproductive capacity of this plant, remove it as soon as possible to avoid perpetuating the infestation. Wear gloves, long sleeves, pants, socks and shoes to protect your skin from the sap. Compost or dispose plants with yard waste. Poison hemlock is not considered an invasive species in Michigan, therefore it should not be disposed with regular trash.

Do not burn plants to prevent any accidental inhalation. Mowing or weed whacking will not kill the plant but can reduce seed production in second year plants. If you are mowing or weed whacking in areas infested with poison hemlock, wear protective eyewear and a dust mask to prevent exposing your eyes and lungs to small particles.

I would not pull it out with my bare hands. typo.

I just read A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley and water hemlock plays a big part in the last third of the book.

Funny, there was no mention of how similar the bloom is to Queen Anne’s Lace.

R9 Again, what did I say in the OP that you didn't in that comment? When did I say "just looking at it is dangerous"?

The guy who was hacking it down with a chainsaw was wearing gloves and still ended up in the hospital for 100 days (and ended up needing multiple heart surgeries). He didn't eat any of it or even directly touch it.

Yes your post is CLEARLY alarmist your linked "info" statement is a travesty.

You are inciting fear about contact:

You wrote. Gardeners, hikers, pet-owners, lawn-owners, highway hobosexuals, beware.

For example, hikers and highway hobosexuals have nothing to fear. And lawn maintenance sure - put on some cloves. But casually touching poison hemlock is not a death trap.

YOU SHOULD NEVER, EVER LEAVE THE HOUSE FOR ANYTHING!!!

[quote]put on some cloves

Ya big ham!

Poison Hemlock is often confused with wild carrot.

Wild carrot and Queen Annes' lace are the same plant.

Reading is fun.

[Quote]You wrote. Gardeners, hikers, pet-owners, lawn-owners, highway hobosexuals, beware.

Oh for fuckssake, did the inclusion of "highway hobosexuals" not tip you off to the intentional drollery?

An alarmism alarmist is what you are.

The Latin name has just been released for this plant.

It's new Latin name is Trumpmegatoxii fatfucksii

Don't forget me!

My scent can give me away but I still love scaring people, quietly.

The absurdity of "growing like wildfire" does further shake my confidence, as a metaphorist.

And?

It looks so pretty. I was under the impression it was the pine family.

Picnic time!

It makes a delicious tea, I'm told, but it's rather intense.

I'll stick with my signature poison ivy tea, which I take in beautiful glass pitchers to any homophobic tax-exempted religious organization's pot lucks about which I am notified. With a dash of raspberry syrup from by canes and herbal ice cubes with lively bits of nettles in them.

Oh no. I hope the sweet pitbulls infesting our society don't eat it. What a loss that would be. Such wonderful loving animals.

I wonder if it will make its way down to Bedminster. A certain someone could experiment with the "Socratic method," if so.

r8 You ok?