These plants look very much like him

Poisonous relatives - spotted hemlock and dog parsley

It is best not to use the flowers as a guide when identifying ground elder! There are some species from the same plant family (umbelliferae) whose flowers look almost the same. For example with the spotted hemlock and the dog parsley, both of which are poisonous. A mix-up can have dire consequences.

Here are the characteristics that you can use to distinguish ground grass from dog parsley and spotted hemlock:

• Spotted hemlock: reddish spots on the stem
• Dog parsley: leaves are much finer pinnate and articulated, not serrated at the edge, deeply incised
• Giersch: three-edged stalk, three-part leaves with three-part single leaves, sawn on the leaf edge, parsley-like odor

Similar plants that are harmless

Then there is the Bibernelle, the wild carrot, the forestAngelica and the broad-leaved Merk. They also look very similar to the Giersch. But unlike dog parsley and hemlock, they are not poisonous. Only the broad-leaved Merk can lead to diarrhea after consumption.

Distinguish elder and ground elder

Compared to young ground elder, the extremely healthy the leaves of the young elder are poisonous. During and shortly after budding, they look like the leaves of a ground elder.

But you can easily distinguish these two plants from one another. If you know how: The elder has a round handle in cross-section (ground elderly triangular) and does not smell of parsley or carrot when grated.

Distinguish hogweed and ground elder from each other

The foliage of the hogweed also resembles the ground elder. However, it is slightly poisonous. In sensitive people, just touching them can cause skin irritation. Here are the differences between the leaves:

• Bear Claw: pinnate to curved leaves
• Giersch: smaller leaves, serrated on the edge