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A poisonous plant is making its way across parks, flower beds and backyard gardens in the United States.
USA TODAY reports the poison hemlock, which originated in Europe, has migrated to more populated areas in the U.S. during the past year, after initially being spotted in highway right-of-ways, as well as along fences and on the edges of farm fields.
“That movement is a bit scary to me because this plant is very toxic and it’s more of an opportunity for kids to play with it and pets to eat it,” said Dan Shaver with Indiana's Natural Resources Conservation Service via USA TODAY. “It is not a plant you want around your home or in your local park.”
The National Park Service confirmed the plant, which resembles Queen Anne's Lace, can be found in nearly all 50 U.S. states as of Monday (August 9) and is currently in season for its largest spread and growth.
The plant annually produces up to 30,000 seeds, which ripen between late June and August after flowering as the seeds scatter during late Summer mowing, Shaver confirmed to USA TODAY.
The plant finds little pockets that are unmanaged in various areas, which includes street corners to avoid being mowed or a pollinator habitat growing wild in a neighborhood.
Shaver also said the poison hemlock commonly grows in moist conditions, which includes wet springs in the Midwest that provide the perfect environment for its spread.
“It just hit this exponential rate of spread,” Shaver said. “Poison hemlock was nowhere and all of a sudden it was everywhere.”
Kevin Tungesvick, a senior ecologist with the Indiana based environmental restoration company Eco Logic, said the plant has already expanded too much to be eradicated from the state and the goal is to now try to manage and control the poison hemlock to the maximum extent possible, for the sake of both environmental and public health.
In June, Jason Hartschuh of the Ohio State University Extension said the plant was appearing "everywhere" in the Buckeye State and was much more visible than any prior year.
Shaver said the poison hemlock is capable of out-competing and displacing native species, but is most dangerous when it crowds into areas where people, pets or live stock can come into contact with it.
Dawn Slack of the Nature Conservancy's Indiana chapter said the all parts of the plant are poisonous from its seeds to the sap and if the sap makes contact with a person's skin it can react with the sun, leading to blisters and welts, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Slack advises all individuals handling the poison hemlock to wear gloves, long sleeves, pants and eye protection when attempting to remove the plant.
However, the plant is most harmful when ingested. The hemlock poisoning can be fatal and all plant parts contain toxic alkaloids capable of interfering with nerve transmissions in muscles, which may cause respiratory failure, as well as trembling, salivation, pupil dilation, muscle paralysis and loss of speech.
Slack said symptoms appear as early as 30 minutes after ingesting the plant and the severity varies on how much of the plant was ingested and the concentration of the hemlock at the time, though small amounts can lead to serious effects.
“None of this should enter your body,” Slack said.
Pets and livestock may be even more prone to the plant as it can mix with harmless plants in pastures and crops.
Poison hemlock is part of the parsley and carrot family and may be confused with parsley, having similar seeds and roots resembling those of parsnip. However, poison hemlock is a biennial plant, featuring clump of lacy-looking leaves that grow close to the ground during its first year and send up a flowering stem growing as tall as 4-6 feet or more during its second year.
The plant looks like a giant Queen Anne's lace once it flowers and features a cluster of tiny white flowers at its top, according to Slack. The poison hemlock's stem is bigger and it's dotted with purple spots along the stock, which sets it apart from the Queen Anne's lace.