Michigan Plays Host To A Potentially Dangerous Weed
The National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control) warns that poison hemlock is a super dangerous plant that can easily be mistaken for harmless edible plants. They say nowadays, people often…
The National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control) warns that poison hemlock is a super dangerous plant that can easily be mistaken for harmless edible plants. They say nowadays, people often get poisoned because they confuse it with something else. For instance, a couple thought they were eating wild celery but actually ingested poison hemlock. Unfortunately, this weed with the potential to be harmful can be found in Michigan.
Michigan Flora Online has documented sightings of this plant in various counties across the Lower Peninsula and a few in the Upper Peninsula. The Michigan State University Extension Agriculture has recently identified its presence in several places, including Allegan, Oakland, and Van Buren counties.
When does poison hemlock bloom?
During its first year, poison hemlock grows as a flowering plant. In its second year, it produces tall stems with white flowers, resembling umbrellas, which bloom in the spring and summer.
It's generally safe to look at or touch poison hemlock plants. But remember that all parts of the plant are toxic if eaten by humans or animals. Poison Control also warns that it’s highly poisonous to humans, livestock, and wildlife.
Sometimes, people mix up poison hemlock with western water hemlock because their names sound alike. The different names for poison hemlock include deadly hemlock, poison parsley, spotted hemlock, European hemlock, and California or Nebraska fern.
According to the National Library of Medicine the death of Socrates in 399 BCE is attributed to poisoning with common hemlock. His progressive centripetal paralysis is characteristic of that poison.
What to do if you come across poison hemlock?
If you happen to come across any poison hemlock in your yard or pasture, it's recommended by the USDA to dig up the plants, including the tap roots, to get rid of them. Since this plant can reproduce rapidly, removing it as soon as possible is crucial to prevent further infestation. Make sure to wear gloves, long sleeves, pants, socks, and shoes to protect your skin from the sap. You can compost the plants or dispose of them with yard waste. Poison hemlock is not considered an invasive species in Michigan, so it should not be thrown out with regular trash.
Avoid burning the plants to prevent accidental inhalation. While mowing or using a weed whacker won't necessarily kill the plant, it can help reduce seed production in second-year plants. If you need to mow or use a weed whacker in areas infested with poison hemlock, don't forget to wear protective eyewear and a dust mask to shield your eyes and lungs from small particles.
5 Plants That Will Make Your Garden Smell
Plants don't always give off beautiful floral aromas, scents, and smells. There are plants that give off unpleasant smells that could stink up your garden. Most plants give off produce scents to lure in pollinators and repel predators.
Bees and butterflies are drawn to your garden by sweet scents from fragrant flowers. Plants with foul odors smell this way to attract flies and beetles which normally lay their eggs in feces and rotting materials.
With the gardening season around the corner, you may want to consider avoiding putting these plants in your garden.
Here are five plants that can smell up your garden.
Crown Imperial Plants
Getty ImagesThe flowers have a potent, musky scent almost like a skunk, which deters rodents and voles as well as squirrels and deer from the garden. Crown imperial plants are native to Asia and the Middle East. They come in These flowers come in shades of red, orange, and yellow.
Stinking Corpse Lily
Getty ImagesThe flower has a large central opening surrounded by petal-like structures and can grow huge, weighing up to 24 pounds. Also known as the rafflesia arnoldii, which smells and even looks like a rotting carcass.
Carrion Flower
Getty ImagesThese flowers are often pollinated by flies and other insects that are attracted to the smell of decay. The most common odors describe it as smelling like a rotting animal, a dead mouse, foul, and sulfur-like during flowering.
Skunk Cabbage
Getty ImagesSkunk Cabbages get their name from the fact they produce a smell of rotting meat or skunk when their leaves are bruised or crushed. While the smell may be unpleasant, the odor can help keep pests away and attract beneficial pollinators including bees and butterflies.
Corpse Flower
Getty ImagesThis flower is far from sweet. The United States Botanic Garden says its the worst-smelling flower in the world. Also known as the titan arum, some people compare its smell to a stinking corpse or rotting flesh.
