> > Have you considered the liability issues of having such a > > plant in you > > garden where children can get hold of it? > > What's the "big deal"? > > 1 - Hemlock isn't illegal > > 2 - Not all variaties are toxic > > 3 - you have to distill or chew on a heck of a lot of it to > kill yourself. You'd get one heck of a stomach ache long > before you were able to send yourself to the hereafter. > > I guess growing up outside of city limits in the woods gives > me a different perspective.. hemlock is just another tree in > the woods, admittedly with a rather colorful mention in > philisophical history.
(of course, I realize that poison hemlock isn't the same as the hemlock tree.. I meant that growing up I wondered why everyone thought that tree in the backyard could kill people ;D) -j- It's good you caught yourself, I was about to lambbaste you ;-) The hemlock tree is completely different from the hemlock plant, or water-hemlock. Hemlock is very toxic. (To be honest, it wasn't until wilbur asked about hemlock that I knew the following): http://www.vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/plant27.htm 27. SPOTTED WATER-HEMLOCK, WATER-HEMLOCK, SPOTTED COWBANE Cicuta maculata (parsnip family) TOXICITY RATING: High. This is one of the most toxic plants in the U.S. ANIMALS AFFECTED: All animals can be affected, but cattle are especially at risk. DANGEROUS PARTS OF PLANT: The roots contain the highest concentration of toxin, but all parts are toxic. CLASS OF SIGNS: Nervousness, breathing difficulties, muscle tremors, collapse, convulsions (seizures), death (which may be sudden). PLANT DESCRIPTION: The perennial stem of water-hemlock (fig. 27) may grow to 7 feet from its cluster of 2 to 8 fleshy or tuberous roots. Stems are smooth, branching, swollen at the base, purple-striped or mottled, and hollow except for partitions at the junction of the root and stem (fig. 27A). A yellow, oily liquid smelling like parsnips exudes from cut stems and roots. Leaves are alternate, two to three times pinnately compound, and toothed, with the leaf veins extending to the leaf notches. Leaf petioles partially sheath the stems. The small white flowers are borne in flat-topped, umbrella-like clusters at the tips of stems and branches. Seed pods are small and dry with rounded, prominent ribs. Water-hemlock is found in swampy areas and marshes, wet meadows and pastures, and along streambanks and low roadsides. SIGNS: This plant is considered to be one of the most toxic plants in the United States since so little of it needs to be consumed to cause death. Humans have been killed after only one or two bites of what they thought were "parsnips" (water hemlock root resembles a parsnip). Cattle are the primary species affected, hence the name "cowbane", especially in early spring when the plants are smaller and apparently more palatable and the roots are easily pulled up. Animals may also be poisoned if water hemlock is plowed under or if ground is reclaimed, since this may expose the root. Toxicity decreases through the growing season, and the toxicity of above-ground parts may be negligible when dry. The roots however are toxic at all times, even when dry. Animals have been poisoned by drinking water that had been contaminated with trampled water hemlock roots. The toxin is cicutoxin, a yellow, viscous resin with a carrot-like odor, which affects the central nervous system. The toxic dose (the dose needed to cause clinical signs) and the lethal dose are nearly the same, with a little more than 1 gram of water hemlock per kilogram of body weight able to kill sheep, and 8 ounces (approximately 230 grams) will kill a horse. Once the animal has ingested even a small amount of the plant, signs will develop within an hour, and as soon as 10 to 15 minutes. The syndrome is typically very violent. Stimulation of the central nervous system begins with nervousness, and dilated pupils. Later, muscle tremors occur, the animal has difficulty breathing, falls down and goes into convulsions. Death, from respiratory paralysis and terminal convulsions, is a typical outcome, occurring within 30 minutes of the onset of signs. If a sublethal dose is consumed, and the animal survives for 4 to 6 hours (or in one report, over 2 hours), the animal may recover, but may suffer from temporary or permanent damage to heart and/or skeletal muscle. Kevin T. Posted without approval (it's only Purdue)
