Poison Hemlock
Poison Hemlock Poison Hemlock, common name for poisonous herbs belonging to two different genera of the parsley family. Hemlock, or poison hemlock, is a large, coarse, unpleasant-smelling plant, all parts of which are poisonous and may be fatal if eaten. It is the poison hemlock that was used to put Socrates to death. Native to Europe, the plant is now naturalized in the United States and occurs as a luxuriant weed, up to 3 m (10 ft) tall, along roadsides and in abandoned fields. The dark-green leaves are divided and redivided into small, ovate, toothed segments. The hollow stems are characteristically blotched with purple. The small white flowers are grouped into flat-topped clusters called umbels. The poisonous principles in hemlock are alkaloids that affect the nervous system and induce trembling, loss of coordination, and paralysis of respiration. The second type of poison hemlock are the water hemlocks, such as musquash root, related botanically to poison hemlock but toxicological...