Poisoning you with Style

#Killing you softly

WATER HEMLOCK

Description

Scientific name: -Cicuta maculata

Family:- Carrot Or Parsley

Water Hemlock

Description

• Is the most poisonous plant in North America.

• All parts are poisonous.• The most poisonous

part is the roots.• Grows 3 to 6 feet and

spreads to 3 feet.

Water Hemlock

Habitat and Range• Typically a wetland

plant, common on pastures or tilled areas

• Common in deep loam, clay loam, or clay soils.

Water Hemlock

Life Cycle

• Biennial plant or takes two years to complete its biological lifecycle.

• Perennial plant which persist for growing seasons.

Water Hemlock

Reproduction

• It reproduce through seeds.

• Dispersal of seeds are the method of reproduction.

• Dispersion is through wind and water.

Water Hemlock

Defense Mechanism• A toxin called cicutoxin,

a violent convulsant, which acts as a stimulant in the central nervous system.

Water Hemlock

Defense Mechanism

• Can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle twitch, increased pulse, excessive salivation or frothing at the mouth, and dilation of the pupils, respiratory paralysis when ingested

Water Hemlock

Ecosystem Connections

Water Hemlock

• The caterpillars of black swallowtail butterflies eat the leaves, however, transfer the toxicity to their own bodies; predators learn not to eat them.

Medicinal Uses

• When cut and dried, losses much of its poisonous properties.

• When it mixed betony and fennel seed was considered a cure for the bite of a dog.

Water Hemlock

Medicinal Uses

• Used as a medicine for migraine, headaches, painful menstruation, and worms in the intestines.

• Some people apply water hemlock directly to the skin for redness and swelling (inflammation). 

Water Hemlock

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