Guide · Food

Deadly plant look-alikes

Some of the most poisonous plants in temperate regions look a lot like common edible ones. Knowing these pairs is the best protection you have. Learn them in person and check against a field guide for your region.

The carrot family: hemlock and water hemlock

Wild carrot, wild parsnip, cow parsley and similar plants have umbrella-shaped clusters of small white flowers. So do some of the deadliest plants in the world.

• Hemlock has a smooth, hollow stem with purple blotches and a musty, unpleasant smell when crushed. All parts are poisonous.
• Water hemlock and hemlock water dropwort grow in wet ground near streams and ditches. Their roots are extremely poisonous; a small bite can kill.

Rule: unless you are an expert, don't eat any plant with white umbrella-shaped flower heads, or its roots.

Foxglove vs comfrey and borage

Before it flowers, a young foxglove is a low rosette of soft, hairy leaves that can be mistaken for comfrey or borage. Foxglove affects the heart and can be fatal.

• Foxglove leaves have a finely toothed edge and a net of veins underneath.
• Comfrey also contains substances that can harm the liver, so it isn't a safe food either.

Wild garlic vs lily-of-the-valley and lords-and-ladies

Wild garlic (ramsons) carpets damp woodland in spring with broad, bright green leaves.

• Lily-of-the-valley has similar leaves, often in pairs, and is poisonous to the heart.
• Lords-and-ladies (cuckoo pint) has arrow-shaped leaves, sometimes spotted, that grow in the same places. It burns the mouth and throat and can cause swelling.
• Autumn crocus leaves can also be confused with wild garlic and are highly toxic.

Wild garlic smells strongly of garlic when crushed. But the smell stays on your fingers, so a second leaf may seem to smell of garlic when it doesn't. Check every leaf, one by one.

In North America

Death camas looks like wild onion but has no onion smell. It is very poisonous.

Yew

Yew is a dark evergreen tree with flat needles and red berry-like cups. Almost every part, especially the seed and leaves, is deadly. Don't eat any part of it.

Deadly nightshade

Deadly nightshade has shiny black berries the size of a cherry, each sitting in a green, star-shaped cup, with dull purple bell flowers. The berries taste sweet and children are especially at risk. They can be confused with bilberries, blueberries or cherries.

If in doubt

Leave it. If anyone eats a plant you can't identify and becomes unwell, call your local emergency number (112 in Europe and many other countries, 911 in North America) and keep a sample of the plant.

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