Beware of poison hemlock Hello folks! This year has been a great year for Noxious Weeds. One in particular is Poison Hemlock. It is relatively new to Idaho County but has been found in some areas in previous years. Poison Hemlock belongs to the carrot family. It is an early season plant that grows up to 9 feet tall, has small white umbrella-shaped flower clusters, has a big taproot, and can be identified between other hemlock species by purple dots along the stem, and fern-like leaves. This plant is extremely poisonous to both humans and animals, so use extreme caution when handling, burning, or when around it. If you do handle it, make sure and wear gloves, goggles or eye protection and make sure to wash any areas of the body and clothing that may come into contact the juices, or smoke (if burning) immediately after handling. It is not advised to chop or weed-whack the plant due to the toxicity. This plant can be controlled by digging up the plants’ roots but be very cautious when handling this plant and bag up any and all remaining plant material to be taken to a dump site. Herbicide can also be utilized for controlling Poison Hemlock. For questions or concerns, contact me at: Scott Dunning IDCO Noxious Weed Superintendent 320 W Main Street Grangeville, ID 83530 sdunning@idahocounty.org (208)983-2667 ex 233 (208)507-1401 cell   A couple of photos of poison hemlock which apparently is showing up around the county this year. The top photo shows the characteristic purple dots on the stems while the lower photo shows the blossoms. | COTTONWOOD
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