Winters sometimes tend to drag on in Missouri, which means we try to spend as much time as we can outdoors during the warmer days of spring and summer. Those of us with outdoor space may spend some of that time planting, gardening, and pulling out the weeds. Did you know there is a poisonous plant in Missouri yards of which we should be aware?

Poison hemlock is typically found along roads and highways, near the water, and in fields, but it’s also common in backyards across the state.
Flickr/Matt Lavin
Because all parts of this biennial weed are toxic to both humans and animals, it’s important to know more about its toxicity, what to look for, and how to rid your yard of this deadly plant.
Flickr/Wisconsin First Detector
Reaching heights of between six and 10 feet, poison hemlock grows quickly and is easily identified by the purple spots on its stems. The plant’s white flowers bloom from June through August.
Flickr/Wendell Smith

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The flowers look a bit like umbrellas. People often mistake this poisonous plant for carrots, parsnips, parsley, and Queen Anne’s Lace (pictured below), among others.
Flickr/Jo Zimny
Knowing how to differentiate poison hemlock from other plants is extremely important. Ingesting this plant can lead to the muscles becoming paralyzed and suffocation which can cause death.
Flickr/kqedquest
If you’ve got sensitive skin, you may find just touching the poisonous plant could cause dermatitis.
A single hemlock, which has a strong odor if crushed, usually produces more than 30,000 seeds. Those seeds can quickly and easily spread by water, on people’s clothing, and on animals’ fur.
Flickr/Wisconsin First Detector
If you’re going to work with hemlock, make sure you take precautions first. Experts recommend wearing long pants and gloves, and, even if you’re wearing gloves, washing your hands after working with it.
Flickr/J. Joost J. Bakker IJmuiden
Using herbicides in the spring and summer can help kill the hemlock, and the most effective is to spray when the plants are merely rosettes.

Have you seen this poisonous plant in Missouri yards? Is it in your yard? Let us know in the comments! (Don’t forget to use gardening gloves when working with this deadly plant.)  Did you know there’s also a poisonous mushroom in Missouri that glows in the dark?

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