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Is cow parsley the same as hemlock?
The main differences are: They are subtly different shades of green – the hemlock is a little darker. Cow parsley has a matt finish whilst the hemlock has a slightly glossy sheen. Hemlock has finer leaves, more feathery in appearance.
How can you tell poison hemlock from parsley?
parsley, Oenanthe sarmentosa, is another look-a-like. It is distinguished from poison hemlock by the lack of purple spots on the stems. Wild Chervil, Anthriscus sylvestris, looks very similar to poison hemlock. The distinguishing traits are the hairy stems and the less divided leaves of wild chervil.
Is parsley related to hemlock?
Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is in the Apiaceae family, which also includes carrots, parsnips, parsley, fennel, and their wild counterparts.
How do you identify hemlock?
A tall, upright plant, hemlock can be distinguished by the distinctive and unpleasant, mousy smell of its foliage and its purple-spotted stems. Its leaves are finely divided and large, and its flowers are small and white and appear in umbrella-like clusters.
Is hemlock poisonous if you just touch it?
The alkaloids can affect nerve impulse transmission to your muscles, eventually killing you through respiratory failure. Even touching this plant may cause a skin reaction in some people. To date, there is no antidote. The leaves are particularly poisonous in the spring, up until it produces flowers.
What is the difference between cow parsley and hogweed?
Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) The leaves are very different to giant hogweed – they are tripinnate (the leaflets are themselves divided and then these divisions are divided again). Confusingly, some people refer to giant hogweed as giant cow parsley.
How do you identify poison hemlock leaves?
Identification and Look-Alikes Poison-hemlock stems have reddish or purple spots and streaks, are not hairy, and are hollow. Leaves are bright green, fern-like, finely divided, toothed on edges and have a strong musty odor when crushed.
Are hogweed and Hemlock the same thing?
What you have here is NOT giant hogweed. It is poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), which is much more common. The ferny foliage makes it possible to distinguish it from giant hogweed. All parts of poison hemlock are toxic too.
What is the difference between Hemlock and cow parsley?
There are some differences between the seeds, cow parsley seeds are straight, black and have a similar shape to a deer hoof print, hemlock the seeds are more curled and a lighter colour than cow parsley, they are also ribbed. Young hemlock stems, spots are not yet showing but the stems are rounded and hairless
What does cow parsley look like?
The stems are also hollow and the plant (especially when you break a bit off) has an unpleasant chemical-like smell to it. Cow parsley stems are hairy (and ribbed if it’s the flower stem) and it’s quite rigid.
What is cow parsley and is it poisonous?
Chris Sawle said: “It grows all over Cornwall, looks even more like cow parsley than hogweed and causes paralysis if ingested.” The poison in it can disrupt the central nervous system – a small dose can cause respiratory collapse and in the most serious cases can result in death.
What does a hemlock plant look like?
Hemlock has purple spots on the stems (though young shoots often have very faint spots so it’s not always a reliable feature) and the stems are also hairless, they’re smooth, rounded and quite flexible until the flower stem is fully grown.