Beware of Dangerous Carrots!

Last weekend on a motorcycle ride to Wisconsin, I saw many plants in the carrot family (Apiaceae) growing along roadsides. One of my favorite vegetables is the very edible carrot, but unfortunately the carrot family has a number of dangerous, poisonous plants in it too.

The first two dangerous carrots I’ll cover are stomach poisons, which means they are poisonous if eaten.

Poison hemlock's purple spotted stem

Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) is not native to Illinois and was added to the Illinois Exotic Weed list in 2015. It grows four to nine feet tall with four to six inch white flowers. It has a purple spotted, waxy stems. This is the plant I saw most on our ride. I could also smell it every time we rode past a good stand of it, which was usually at bridge crossings. Poison hemlock has a disagreeable “mousy” odor. The entire plant is poisonous if ingested.

Water hemlock (Conium maculate) is considered by many to be the most poisonous plant in the northern temperate zone. Only a small amount of the toxic substance in the plant is needed to produce poisoning in animals or in humans. This native plant grows three to six foot tall with 6 inch white flowers and purple-streaked stout stems. All parts of this plant are poisonous, especially the roots.

The next three dangerous carrots cause photo-dermatitis. Cow parsnip, wild parsnip, and giant hogweed contain an allergen that is activated by sunlight to cause rash, blisters, or other skin irritations in susceptible people.

Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum) is a native plant that can reach eight feet tall. Like the hemlocks, its flowers are white, but cow parsnip flowers are larger, growing to 10 inches across. The large flowers were obvious as we rode past them on the motorcycle.

Wild parsnips

Wild Parsnip flower

       Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) has large yellow flowers that are about five inches across. It is a stout plant that grows to five feet tall with grooves along its stem. I know a few people, including my sister, whom are very allergic to this plant.

Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is the worst of the three that cause blisters in the sun. This plant lives up to its name as a giant. It grows 15 feet tall with five foot leaves and 2 ½ foot white umbel flowers. Its massive size makes it desirable to some home gardeners, but it is a public hazard that causes severe skin irritation in susceptible people. A USDA pamphlet says this plant’s sap produces painful, burning blisters that later develop dark scars that may persist for years. Fortunately, it has only been found in an isolated location in northwest Illinois, and those plants have been eradicated. Giant hogweed is a federal noxious weed, making it unlawful to propagate, sell or transport this plant in the United States.

Queen Anne's Lace flower

Finally, not all carrots are dangerous. Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) is also called wild carrot due to its large, edible taproot. It grows four foot tall with lacy four inch flowers. This plant is the ancestor of our cultivated carrot, though its roots are white instead of orange.

Other edible plants in this family grown for their roots are parsnips and bulb fennel. Anise, caraway, celery, chervil, cicely, coriander (cilantro), cumin, dill, fennel, and parsley are grown for their edible leaves and seeds.

Think I’ll eat a salad with lots of carrots for lunch!

Ferns Add Texture to the Shade Garden

I love ferns. Ferns make areas greener and provide interesting texture. The past few years I’ve been working on my fern identification skills. I’ve found many different types of ferns growing in Illinois natural areas (watch for a future blog on this!). For now, Let’s look at a few that are commonly grown in home shade gardens.

Hardy, outdoor ferns are easy to grow and are essential in the woodland garden. Ferns come in all shapes and sizes, but most require similar growing conditions. Nearly all ferns do best in dappled shade. Most ferns require a soil rich in organic matter, with good drainage, and slightly on the acid side. Although most ferns also prefer moisture, there are several that will tolerate dry situations.

The most commonly grown hardy ferns are the lady fern, cinnamon fern, Christmas fern, ostrich fern, and Japanese painted fern.  The lady fern  (Athyrium filix-femina) is easily grown and often found as foundation plantings. It has very lacy leaves, grows 1 to 3 feet tall, and spreads well. It prefers shade but will tolerate some sun as long as the soil is moist.

The cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamonmea) is named for its bright cinnamon-colored fertile fronds. This is a member of a majestic group of quite large ferns called flowering ferns. This fern will grow in the sun or shade but needs moisture and acidic soil. It grows 3-4 feet tall and has attractive fiddleheads in the spring.

The Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) resembles a Boston fern but has much darker leaves and cascades less. It withstands sun or deep shade and grows up to 2 to 3 feet high. This one also doubles as a houseplant. It gets its common name from the fact that the early settlers used it for Christmas decoration.

The ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) has a vase-shaped form and grows 2 to 6 feet tall. Also easy to grow, the ostrich fern tolerates sun to full shade, with moist soil. This is one of the most widely used ferns in temperate gardens.

The Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’) is unique due to its exceptional coloring. An interesting addition to any garden, it boasts dark green fronds with silvery centers and red stems. It grows 10-15 inches high. The best color develops on plants in light shade. Too much sun washes out the color. With moist, loose soil it will send up fronds all summer and into the fall.

These are just a few of the hardy ferns available to us. Lush ferns create a cool, calming effect. They are useful in any shady area, along a pond, or in a woodland garden. Also, many tropical ferns are used as annual outdoor plants, but also make beautiful houseplants. Include ferns in your garden: indoors and out.