The Herbarium
Part XII · Lookalikes
Field pair
Hemlock for fennel
Poison hemlock and Fennel — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.
Deadly mix-upForage
Hemlock for fennel
Anise-scented foliage is not a field test. Poison hemlock has been called ‘wild fennel’ by people who then got very still.
Fennel is glaucous, yellow-flowered, and smells of liquorice even in the stem. Hemlock flowers white, stinks of mouse, and carries those purple spots. Crush, look, and walk away if you are unsure.
The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.