• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

XXMAJAXX / DREAMSTIME.COM / XXMAJAXX 12 n New Hampshire WILDLIFE JOURNAL The Dangers of Poisonous Plants by Becky Johnson New Hampshire’s state parks, forests, and mountains are favorite places for many people who enjoy outdoor activities. The Granite State boasts some of the most serene scenery, fresh air, and captivating wildlife in New England. But few things can ruin a picture-perfect outing quite like an encounter with a poisonous plant. Plants that might look breathtakingly beautiful, beguile children and pets, and capture the attention of the average nature enthusiast could be some of the most deadly. July / August 2020 n 13 utdoor adventurers, and even home Common Pokeweed gardeners, must be prepared to iden- (Phytolacca americana) tify and understand these plants, especially Common pokeweed, also called “inkberry,” is an herbaceous perennial plant that’s native to the while foraging for wild edibles. As you take United States, and it was historically used by in New Hampshire’s great outdoors, be indigenous people as pigment. Pokeweed on the lookout for these poisonous plants received its name from the Algonquin which are some of the most likely to cause word “pakon,” meaning dye. Birds painful and unforeseen problems. enjoy the seeds of common poke- weed, but the entire plant is laden with phytolacca- toxins, which are poisonous to mammals. Despite the history of young spring leaves and stems Tree of Heaven being used in the traditional dish “poke sallet” in the American (Ailanthus -altissima) - Deep South, careful harvest, preparation, and cooking several times must occur before only certain parts of the plant are safe Its name sounds to eat. Pokeweed is one of the most common sources of plant celestial, but don’t poisoning in the United States. Eating just a few berries has be fooled. Also proven fatal. Common pokeweed grows 4 to 10 feet tall with known as a reddish, upright stalk. Its leaves are long and medium-green “stinking with a coarse texture and an unpleasant odor. Small stalks of sumac” and white flowers grow and mature into dark purplish berries that “tree-of- resemble small blueberries. hell,” tree- of-heaven is native to China. It Wild Hogweed has the ability M (Heracleum mantegazzianum) CO E. M TI MS EA to produce an DR Giant hogweed is native to Eurasia and is a relative A / ITEV KA M abundant number of © VELICH of the wild parsnip. The oils and sap from the seeds, invasive roots, and a plant cause painful blisters when they come into chemical that can kill other nearby plants. Tree-of-heaven contact with skin, and blindness if they come can reach 50 to 90 feet in height. The bark of tree-of-heaven into contact with eyes. This herbaceous biennial grows is smooth and green in its early stages, then turns grayish between 15 and 20 feet tall, has a hollow, purple- and textured, similar to the skin on a cantaloupe. The leaves blotched stem that is bristled with needle-like hairs, and have a central stem, and lance-shaped leaflets are attached can be 2 to 4 inches thick. The plant is topped with to each side. It is a high pollen producer and has fuzzy, 3-foot-wide clusters of umbrella-like florets. reddish-brown stems and clusters of light-green seed pods Wild hogweed grows in grasslands, vacant lots, called samara. All parts of the tree emit a strong rotten and along roadsides, streams, and rivers. nut-like odor. Tree-of-heaven prefers moist soil near rivers and streams, but it is also found along roadsides and in forest openings. Depending on one’s sensitivity and extent of contact, the sap from tree-of-heaven can cause itching, blisters, and inflammation of the heart. 14 n New Hampshire WILDLIFE JOURNAL Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) Hemlock is a biennial herbaceous plant that grows 3 to 5 feet tall. Its stem is smooth and green and is often streaked or spotted with purple or red on its lower half. Its leaves are triangular in shape, and it has © clusters of small, white flowers. Also called ALF IO SCI SET TI / DR EAM “devil’s porridge,” poison hemlock leaves are STI ME. COM D AR often mistaken LL BA © LISA for carrots or parsley. The fruit of the Hemlock is not related to the hemlock tree (Tsuga common pokeweed canadensis), which is in the Pinaceae family and not is a food source at all poisonous. Poison hemlock is native to Asia, for many native New Hampshire Europe, and North Africa, but has spread to North birds including the America. If ingested it suffocates its unknowing northern cardinal, victims with poisonous alkaloids, such as OM .C northern mocking- E conhydrine and coniine (similar to nicotine). The M I T S bird, gray catbird, M A poison disrupts the central nervous system. Even a very E R D / and brown thrasher. R small dose can cause respiratory collapse. Hemlock’s most infamous A M A R K A victim was the Greek philosopher Socrates, who chose to drink hemlock Y I N E G V tea after being sentenced to death for his speeches and political beliefs. E © Poison Ivy (Phytolacca americana) While not directly related to poison oak or poison sumac, poison ivy contains the same nasty sap called urushiol, which is present in all parts of the plant at all times of the year. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than 85% of O M M E L people who come into contact with poison ivy develop a red, swollen, itchy Y R R E G skin rash that can easily spread to other parts of the body. One doesn’t © even have to come into direct contact with the plant to feel its effects. Pet fur, gardening tools, and clothing can all transport the oil onto skin. The old saying “leaves of three, let it be” describes the three leaflets that the plant typically displays. The center leaf is symmetrical, but the two side leaves of a cluster are frequently asymmetrical and often appear to have a curve or “hook” at the end. Usually poison ivy grows close to the ground, but it can also grow on trees as a vine or small shrub. Pointy, toothed leaves appear hunter green to lime green, can be shiny at certain times of the year, and dull green at Don't be fooled. Poison ivy can cause a rash in all other times. New growth is usually tinged red at seasons, including fall and the tips. Poison ivy bears a white fruit-like berry D AR winter. LL BA that birds enjoy, and its stems are smooth. © LISA July / August 2020 n 15 Poison Sumac Water Hemlock (Toxicodendron vernix) (Cicuta maculata) Poison sumac is a The U.S. Department of Agriculture calls woody shrub water hemlock “the most violently toxic that’s also called plant that grows in North America.” Ingesting thunderwood only a little bit of the plant, which contains and is a cicutoxin, will result in violent convulsions relative of the and seizures as it attacks the central nervous cashew and system. Water hemlock grows 1 to 3 feet mango family tall and has small umbrella-like clusters of (Anacardiaceae). white flowers. It’s easily confused with wild All parts of the parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) another similar plant are poisonous plant with nasty side effects. Water and contain a skin irritant called urushiol. As with poison ivy, hemlock has a thick rootstalk when the plant is burned it can cause severe irritation to the that harbors a poisonous eyes and esophagus and sometimes fatal respiratory distress. brown-colored liquid. It grows Poison sumac enjoys moist soil and is usually found in bogs and in damp areas near streams, swampy areas. The plant grows from 6 to 20 feet tall, and the pasture drainage, and in bark in mature plants is smooth. The leaf stems are red and meadows. smooth while the leaves are green for most of the year, oblong, and have a slight curl to the edges. The leaves, which turn a brilliant and beguiling shade of Stinging Nettles fiery red and orange in the fall, (Urtica dioica) are botanically described While not poisonous, this plant as pinnate, which means has the defense mechanism of featherlike. There can be hundreds of tiny, © as many as 15 leaflets needle-like hairs E L I Z A on a single stem. The tiny B A called trichomes. R R E T T not-quite-round berries start - The trichomes contain C C - BY 2 . out green in the spring and 0 a potent mix of unfriendly turn white in the fall. compounds that irritate whatever tissue comes into contact with it. On the positive side, the stems, leaves, and roots of stinging nettles have been used for medicinal purposes, food, M O C . and dye. Native to Europe, E M I T S M the plant usually grows in A E R D / patches found in moist, O K N E H C fertile soil. It can grow up to N A P R If you or a loved one ingests a harmful plant, or one D 6 feet tall and has yellowish N A S K E that you are unsure is safe, call the Northern New L O flowers and long, heart- © England Poison Center at (800) 222-1222. shaped serrated leaves. 16 n New Hampshire WILDLIFE JOURNAL White Baneberry (Actaea pachypoda) White baneberry, also known as “doll’s eyes” or “snake berry,” is a unique plant due to its remark- able visual interest, but all parts of the baneberry plant are poisonous.

Load more

  7

Copy Link