Not good news, but there are some new invasive species
that are slowly making their way to us. Rachelle McElroy from the Costal
Invasive Species Committee mentioned them at our last meeting. If you see one
of these, report it.
Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) looks like a fern or
like parsnips, carrots, and parsley. It is present on south Vancouver Island
now. It can be found in poorly drained soils, especially near streams and
ditches. You may also find it on roadsides and the edge of cultivated fields.
In ancient Greece, it was used to poison condemned
prisoners. In 399 BC, Socrates was given it after being condemned to death for
impiety and corrupting the young men of Athens.
Source: wikipedia.org |
Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) is a foul-smelling annual.
The stem forks repeatedly and each for forms a leaf and single flower. The
flowers are trumpet-shaped, white or violet.
It has been used in traditional medicine as analgesic and
it’s a powerful hallucinogen. The alkaloids responsible for these uses are
fatally toxic in slightly higher doses than the medicinal dose.
Source: wikipedia.org |
Blessed milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is not the type
used medicinally (that would be blessed thistle, Cnicus benedictus). It is
highly invasive and forms dense stands. To differentiate from other thistles,
notice leaves are marbled and the flower
head is spiny.
Source: www.badplants.com |
Blueweed (Echium vulgare) is present in BC’s Interior
now. It is common on roadsides, drainage ditches, fence lines, and pastures. Blueweed
has bright blue flowers and its hairy stems are painful to the touch. It
produces up to 2800 seeds per plant. The rough seeds stick to clothing, hair,
and feathers.
Source: www.bcinvasives.ca |
Has anyone seen these in the Powell River region?
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