Community ClicksSEQUIM — Poison hemlock has clusters of white flowers on hairless stalks that have purple spots and the leaves have a parsley-like appearance.
Every part of the plant is poisonous to humans and livestock.
Mistaking the leaves of the immature plant for parsley has poisoned humans.
Poison hemlock has become a serious problem in Clallam County, especially the Sequim Valley.
Dan Donovan of Allform Welding called the Clallam County Weed Control office and contacted a Master Gardener to ask about the plants on the property adjoining his business.
A few days later more plants were identified in Sequim along the north side of Miller Road and along the Sequim-Dungeness eastbound entrance to U.S. Highway 101.
In fact, the Weed Control Office reports more than 350 sites exist in Clallam County.
Poison hemlock will invade perennial crops, even alfalfa.
Because it tolerates poorly drained soil, it is frequently found along stream and ditch banks, but will grow in dry areas as well.
Left uncontrolled, poison hemlock will invade more of Clallam County roadsides, croplands, pastures and waterways.
One of the most distinctive features of poison hemlock is its height.
It can reach 8 to 10 feet tall.
Stems are erect, stout, ridged, hollow and extensively branched with purple spots or blotches.
Leaves are shiny green and fern-like in appearance because they are divided three or four times.
The flowers of the poison hemlock are white and five-petaled, borne in umbrella-shaped clusters, each supported by a stalk.
In Clallam County, poison hemlock started blooming in early May and continues to bloom.
Seeds are paired, 1/8-inch long, light brown, ribbed and concave.
A biennial plant, poison hemlock completes its life cycle within a two-year period.
It germinates in the spring, overwinters, flowers the following spring, spreads hundreds of seeds and dies back in the fall.
If the plant is on your property, you are required to eradicate it.
Remember that all parts of the plant are poisonous and to take precautions to protect yourself.
Wear protective clothing, including eye protection, and wash your hands thoroughly after handling plant matter.
Cut the plant into pieces small enough to fit into a garbage bag and dispose of them in the trash.
If possible, dig up, bag and dispose of the roots.
Be sure to take action to remove the plant before the flowers go to seed and are further dispersed.
If you see poison hemlock on private or public property, report the locations to the County Weed Control office at 360-417-2442.
— story by Master Gardener Judy English
Poison hemlock starting to invade the Dungeness Valley
Posted on:
Jul
12th
2010
