By Ian Wilson Recently, a local mother (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent) took a picture of her child with some berries she had recently picked. She couldn’t identify what they were. Luckily for everyone involved, my own mother managed to identify them as deadly nightshade, also known as belladonna, a highly poisonous invasive weed. Belladonnas are members of the same family as potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and petunias. They are a vine plant that grows in uncultivated yards, vacant lots, or wooded areas across the United States. They resemble pepper plants in appearance, with arrow-shaped leaves (usually with miniature leaves on either side of the larger leaf), and can grow to astounding lengths. I once eradicated one that was about 20-30 feet long! Every part of the plant is poisonous. If ingested they can cause severe gastrointestinal distress and even death. They are one of a number of poisonous weeds that might be growing right in your backyard. Here are some other common weeds you should look out for. Poison HemlockPoison hemlock has a mythical reputation as a poisonous plant going back thousands of years. Hemlock is a member of the carrot family and is quite deadly if ingested. It resembles the harmless wild carrot to such a degree that they are frequently mistaken for each other. Wild carrots tend to be much smaller, and have hairy stems, while hemlock is invariably smooth. So if you find a hairless, carrot-like plant in your yard or lot, don’t eat it! Wild ParsnipWild parsnips and cow parsnips are also members of the carrot family. They usually grow a little larger than their orange cousins and have yellow flowers rather than white. You frequently find them on roadsides and pastures in much of the rural US. Unfortunately, these plants can cause a severe rash if their juice is exposed to human skin. A single touch of a bruised leaf can cause the skin to blister. These reactions are typically temporary and last a few weeks, but it’s better to avoid them altogether. Strangely, these plants are harmless to cattle, sheep, and pigs. HogweedOther dangerous members of the carrot family include hogweed, and it’s larger relative the giant hogweed. Hogweeds can’t be misidentified; they grow to immense heights: the giant variety growing as much as 17 feet tall! I saw one in Ohio that was well over 6 feet tall! Like the wild parsnip, hogweeds cause severe burns to exposed skin. Use extreme caution if you should find one. Contact the local department of forestry or department of agriculture to get information on extermination. Poison IvyNearly all of us have been exposed to poison ivy at one time or another. These vines typically grow in wilderness areas or at the edges of farmlands or vacant lots. They usually have shiny, arrow-shaped leaves in groups of three on the stem. These plants cause an allergic skin reaction in most people, so one should always take care in wilderness areas. Poison SumacAnd how could we forget poison ivy’s equally annoying cousin, poison sumac? Poison sumac is named for its resemblance to sumac trees, with parallel compound leaves (multiple leaves on one stem) in a feather-like pattern. True sumacs are quite harmless. In fact, their flowers can be made into a pink, fruity-tasting tea. Poison sumacs can be identified by their oval-shaped, smooth-edges leaves. True sumacs always have toothy-edged leaves. Poison sumacs are typically found in swampy areas of the southern US. Most of these plants have the added feature of being invasive species, meaning they also pose an environmental threat. By keeping them in check, we are doing a service to humanity and nature. There are dangers lurking even in our own backyards, but if we are aware of the risks and have all the facts, we can protect ourselves, our families, and our communities.
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Author**Opinions expressed on blogs about which I write are the opinion of the blog authors and DO NOT necessarily reflect my own opinion. |