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Poison Hemlock

Conium maculatum

Other Common Names

Poison Parsley

Plant Category

Biennial

Invasive Description

Native to Europe, Poison Hemlock was introduced into North America in the 1800s as an ornamental. It is an attractive, erect, biennial, up to 8′ tall with hollow stems that are green with purple spots. All parts of the plant are deadly poisonous. Its leaves resemble those of carrots or parsley. Its flower is white and blooms June – August.

Ecological Threat

All plant parts of Poison Hemlock, especially seeds, contain highly poisonous alkaloids toxic to all classes of livestock and humans. Human deaths have occurred from harvesting and mistakenly consuming the roots as wild carrots or parsnips. The plant may act as a pioneer species, quickly colonizing disturbed sites and displacing natives during early successional areas.

You may not want or need to replace this invasive plant.

How to Eradicate

For information on how to eradicate this invasive, view our statement on herbicide use and preferred alternatives for invasive plants.

Native Alternatives

You can replace this invasive plant with native alternatives. Here are some plants that make superior replacements.

Match your location on the Texas map to the color squares on the replacement plants below to find suitable replacements for your ecoregion.

Click for more details about the ecoregions