Poison Hemlock - just an FYI - it's all over west KY now

[artcarney_agr]

I just learned about the outbreak of poison hemlock in the area. After learning of it, I've been seeing it everywhere along the roadways of west Kentucky! Apparently it's invasive and has been thriving just recently in the area.

It's highly poisonous, so if you have kids be aware of it as it can easily kill a kid if they put it in their mouth. It's what Socrates died from.

https://www.simplemost.com/truckee-r...ampaign=buffer

It may have been thousands of years ago, but the plant famous for killing Socrates is still around—and still just as dangerous. The plant thrives in areas of moist soil and shade and is among the most potently toxic plants people can encounter. It grows to be 6-10 feet tall with leaves and white flowerheads. While all parts of hemlock are poisonous, the seeds contain the highest concentration of poison. Even after death, the cane of the plant can remain toxic for up to three years.

Eating the plant is the biggest danger, but it is also toxic to the skin and respiratory system. If ingested by people or animals, symptoms appear within 20 minutes to three hours. Typical symptoms in humans include dilation of the pupils, dizziness and trembling, followed by slowing of the heartbeat, paralysis of the central nervous system, muscle paralysis and death due to respiratory failure.

Poison hemlock can be confused with Queen Anne’s lace, as well as other members of the parsley family.

Poison hemlock stems are hairless with dark purple spots, while Queen Anne’s lace has hairy stems and no purple.

Queen Anne’s lace has three-pronged bracts at the base of the flowers, while poison hemlock does not.

The flowers on both plants are white and bloom in an umbrella-shaped pattern, but Queen Anne’s lace flowers are flat on top and usually have a single purplish/red flower at the center. Poison hemlock flowers are more rounded, with no colorful flower.

While both have leaves that are fern-like, Queen Anne’s lace’s leaves will have hairs on the undersides. The leaves of poison hemlock are not hairy.

[CaseyCreekKy]

Thx

[artcarney_agr]

I didn't realize how much there really was around until I knew what it looked like. Nearly every ditch is full of it around here!

Even the mayor has been putting out info warning about it.

[Chief Paduke]

I have something similar on some property I own. I looked at it tonight and can't determine that it is Queen Anne's Lace. I guess I'll ask Mrs. Chief to take to work with her Monday for a definite id.

[Chief Paduke]

She went out there today and found tons of it. A lot of it was mixed in with Queen Anne's lace, which made for an easy comparison, although the QAL is not yet in full bloom. She said it was easy to differentiate.

[bernie day]

She went out there today and found tons of it. A lot of it was mixed in with Queen Anne's lace, which made for an easy comparison, although the QAL is not yet in full bloom. She said it was easy to differentiate.

Thanks Scott. Didn't know that, but did know women are smart!

[Lykins Tr21]

cool

[Maddog10]

I have heard of poison hemlock and I'm sure I've seen it as well if it's this prevalent, but had no idea it had that level of potency... However, if it is that prevalent and is that potent, why do we not hear of cases involving people being poisoned? Not sure I've ever heard of someone that I know being hospitalized due to poison hemlock.

[artcarney_agr]

I have heard of poison hemlock and I'm sure I've seen it as well if it's this prevalent, but had no idea it had that level of potency... However, if it is that prevalent and is that potent, why do we not hear of cases involving people being poisoned? Not sure I've ever heard of someone that I know being hospitalized due to poison hemlock.

Can't say I've heard of anyone being poisoned either, but I think the spread is a concern to those with livestock. If it gets in a hay field, livestock could ingest it in that manner leading to problems. Dogs that walk through it and have particles of it on their fur, who later lick/groom themselves could be at risk.

There is no antidote to it from what I've read. It causes paralysis of the muscles, including those needed to breathe. Coniine is the active ingredient in the plant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coniine

[artcarney_agr]

It's from the carrot family, and when small it can look like carrots growing. Kids have an incredible imagination, if they are ever pretending they're pulling up carrots you might want to make sure what exactly it is that they are playing with!

I had some of this stuff growing alongside the barn, I thought it was wild carrots at first and I've been walking through the stuff with no clue what it actually was. I put the glyphosate to it a couple of weeks ago after I learned what it was.

[bernie day]

Now your just making up words!

[artcarney_agr]

[JaguarJim]

Now your just making up words!

glyphosate is the active ingredient in roundup,lol

[JaguarJim]

What are the chances of hemlock poisoning livestock that are beef or milk cows and it being transferred to humans? This is the first I've heard of it and I'm in ky quite a lot, would/will Marshall country public works eliminate it?

[artcarney_agr]

What are the chances of hemlock poisoning livestock that are beef or milk cows and it being transferred to humans?

It's possible, mainly through milk.

http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74162.html

Cases of human poisoning are comparatively rare and are generally associated with children using the hollow stems as flutes or adults mistakenly confusing poison hemlock with an edible plant such as parsley, parsnip, or anise. Sensitive people may experience contact dermatitis when handling this plant.

Some of poison hemlock's alkaloid compounds have the ability to pass into milk when animals feed on sublethal amounts of this plant, which can adversely alter the flavor and safety of milk used for human consumption.

Animals tend to avoid poison hemlock when other forage is available. They typically feed on the plant only when forage options are limited or when poison hemlock has contaminated green chop, silage, or hay. All classes of livestock and wildlife are susceptible to poison hemlock from ingestion, including cattle, horses, pigs, goats, sheep, elk, and turkeys. Of the domesticated animals, cattle, goats, and horses are the most sensitive. A lethal dose in horses and cattle is as low as 0.25 to 0.5% (fresh plant weight) of the animal's body weight. Sheep and pigs are somewhat less susceptible.

Symptoms of poisoning include nervousness, trembling, knuckling at the fetlock joints, ataxia, dilation of the pupils, a weak and slow heartbeat, coma, and eventually death from respiratory paralysis. These symptoms can occur within 30 to 40 minutes in horses and 1 1/2 to 2 hours in cattle and sheep.

Central nervous system toxicity in livestock usually occurs in spring when poison hemlock is among the first green plants to emerge. This is also when concentrations of some of the most potent alkaloids are at their highest. In fall, regrowth or newly germinated poison hemlock may be the last green forage available. In the western United States, this time coincides with the critical period of gestation in many animals, and ingestion can cause fetal deformity (i.e., crooked calf disease) in pregnant cattle, pigs, or goats. Winter poisonings are also common when cattle are fed harvested hay.

[axis]

I am in Ohio, but I have also had Poison Hemlock brought to my attention just back in May. Didn't realize what it was. We just cut it down in our fields with a bushhog for now. Not sure if Round Up is needed or not.

From my Google search, I understand it to be a biennial weed. So, I am hoping to just keep it mowed down so it does not go to seed. Hopefully this will help stop the spread.

[Alliston64]

A few years ago, my uncle bought a big lot of hay for his cattle. Later that year, all of his calves were dying shortly after birth or being still born. They couldn't figure out what the deal was. They lost 15 calves. Upon further investigation, the found that the hay they had been feeding had a lot of hemlock in it and that is what was doing it. It's interesting to see how much of it is all around the fields all over Kentucky surrounding livestock fields. The animals know to pass on by.

[Team V-T2]

Just some help in plant identification. Queen Anne's Lace is all over too!

http://www.ravensroots.com/blog/2015...son-hemlock-id