Tokyo Food Safety Information Center » Good things to know » Poisonous plants easily mistaken for harmless ones » Hemlock (Apiaceae)

Hemlock (Apiaceae)

Biennial grass originating in Europe. Its leaves resemble carrot’s. The stem is heavily branched, and the plant grows as high as 1.5 meters and blooms small white flowers in the summer. The whole plant has a particular odor.
There was a case where it was mistaken for anthriscus sylvestris (Apiaceae) in Hokkaido.

Characteristics

Habitat	Naturalized plant that grows in Hokkaido and a part of Honshu.
Parts of the plant that may be ingested accidentally.	Whole plant
Symptoms	Vomiting, muscle paralysis, breathing difficulties. Serious cases can be fatal.
Venomous constituents	Coniine