While dog training at Huntington Beach Central Park recently I notice an extremely poisonous plant growing along the walking path. The plant is water hemlock the poison that killed Socrates. I would encourage the park department to eradicate this plant because so many pets and children pass through this danger zone every day. I imagine it would only take one bite, one accidental mouthful to do a child or dog great harm.
Water Hemlock at Huntington Beach Central Park
When I was younger and into survival camping I had heard that even cooking over a fire of hemlock could kill a person.
The hemlock patch is at the South East end of the park close to the Huntington Beach Central Library. If you look you will notice them just before you approach the bend in the walking path.
Water hemlock at the South East side of Central Park
This is the Flower cluster of the Water Hemlock
The flowers of the water hemlock look a little like an umbrella
Leaves of the water hemlock
The leaves of the water hemlock resemble wild celery and it grows in the same environment as wild celery
Tell tale spots on the stock of the water hemlock
One of the best ways to distinguish water hemlock from wild celery is finding the distinctive purple spots on the hemlocks stock
Another variation of the spots on a water hemlock stock
Notice where the leaf branches from the stock looks a little like celery from the Asian supper market