Hemlock for parsley

Poison hemlock and Parsley — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.

Poison hemlockConium maculatum

ParsleyPetroselinum crispum

Deadly mix-upForage

Hemlock for parsley

Poison hemlock is still pulled as ‘wild parsley.’ A purple-spotted stem is the difference between supper and Socrates’ cup.

Conium has smooth, hollow, purple-blotched stems and a mousy smell when crushed. Garden parsley is green to the ground, never blotched, and smells of the kitchen. Hairless white umbels on a roadside are not an herb.

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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.