LEAF & SPOREPLANTS, MUSHROOMS & FIELD GUIDES
Leaf & SporePoison Archive
Observe. Understand. Keep your distance.

The Poison Archive

Some of the most remarkable species ask us to look without touching. Learn about documented hazards and why resemblance is never enough.

Possible poisoning? Get help immediately.
Do not wait for symptoms. Outside the US, contact your local poison service or emergency care.

US Poison Control · 1-800-222-1222 ↗
Toxic lookalikes / 01

A dangerous family resemblance.

Awareness, not identification
Poison hemlock reference photograph; not sufficient for identification
Highly poisonous

Poison hemlock

Conium maculatum

View profile ↗
Wild carrot reference photograph; not sufficient for identification
Dangerous lookalike · Source checked

Wild carrot

Daucus carota

View profile ↗
FoliageFinely divided; UC IPM describes the leaves and stems as hairless.
FoliageAlso finely divided. Wild carrot is a familiar source of confusion; hairs can be one distinguishing feature.
StemOften hollow, with distinctive purple mottling. Appearance varies with growth stage.
StemHairiness is one comparison noted by UC IPM. The absence of a feature does not establish safe identity.
The shared riskWhite flower clusters and carrot-like foliage can lead to a fatal mistake.
The shared riskNever assume a white-flowered member of this family is food. These notes are not an identification key.

Do not use these comparisons to decide what to eat. They summarize selected source features and omit the many details needed for expert identification.

University of California Statewide IPM Program ↗

Image credits: William & Wilma Follette / USDA NRCS · Public domain · Responsive crop; Kieran Roy Powell · CC BY 4.0 · Responsive crop.

Know what asks for care

Species to approach with caution.

IntroducedSource checked

Death cap

Amanita phalloides

Woodland & urban trees

This is an awareness archive, not a diagnostic key. Photo color, season, habitat, and individual features cannot establish safety. Never taste a specimen to identify it. Emergency guidance: National Capital Poison Center ↗.