One you can eat, the other will kill you...

[JonnyP]

Some interesting replys there. Tis hard though....Try the seed heads to see if that will help....
Plant no 1....

And plant no 2....

 

[Matthew.Passmore]

yer 2 is hemlock, weve got some in our garden and they are the seed pods on it.

 

[Draven]

I wouldn't eat either, white's not my colour and neither is green

However, if I were forced to hazard a guess and eat some, (clearly) not based on what's been said already, I'd probably go for number two... see, this is why I don't eat vegetables.

 

[xylaria]

I think the bottom one is wild angelica, the top one is hemlock.

I'd be dead by now I think.

 

[JonnyP]

Ok, time for the leaves...
Plant no 1....

And plant no 2....

There have been some close answers but will these photo's help anyone get them both...
ps...The dates on the photo's should give you a clue as well...

 

[familne]

I would say 1 is Hemlock Water-Dropwort and 2 is Wld Angelica

 

[Jodie]

Not that it would help me much, but I can't make out the dates very clearly.
Every time I see the post title I sing that Jefferson Airplane song to myself

 

[JonnyP]

I would say 1 is Hemlock Water-Dropwort and 2 is Wld Angelica

Well done Familne, spot on.....Hemlock water dropwort (no1) is supposed to be the most poisonous plant in this country. As you can see, the flower heads do look very similar to the edible wild angelica (no2) as British Red could testify... Unfortunetley hemlock water dropwort is very common and lines the banks of many rivers and streams as well as marshy places. I have been told not to even eat any plant growing next to it or drink the water near it either as it is that poisonous.. The wild angelica however is comming out right now and the h w dropwort is going over, so that help id. Also the w angelica has a reddish stem, esp as it gets older. You can just make out the stem starting to redden in the first photo of it...
This has been a bit of fun, but it does show that you have to be very careful id'ing plants....
Thanks for having a go guys...

 

[Jodie]

Well number 1 does look a lot less scary than number 2 - I'm basing this on the stem
size, but for all I know they could be the same plant but at different ages. Those flowers
do look very similar. I'd be totally dead ;-)

Then again the flowers on #2 look very relaxed as if they're having a lovely time wafting
in the breeze whereas the ones on #1 look aloof and unfriendly and perhaps poisonous?

I've got no idea - I also thought there was something a bit hogweedy about them but
I don't know. I'm going to buck the trend and vote #2 as the edible...

Jo (RIP)

edible wild angelica (no2)

Good heavens, I was right! Although my methods are rather shakey!!

 

[British Red]

Grrrr - right plants - wrong order

Good fun Jon - thanks


Ded

I mean Red!

 

[Jodie]

Well I really need to compare more plants please Jon, to test my 'which looks
friendlier?' theory further ;-)

 

[JonnyP]

Good heavens, I was right! Although my methods are rather shakey!!

You were right Jodie, I loved your methods, but I will stick to me books I think...
Red....I don't know wether to say well done on being the first to identify both plants or say poor show on getting them the wrong way around... Proves my point perfectly though, so well done on that...

 

[JonnyP]

Well I really need to compare more plants please Jon, to test my 'which looks
friendlier?' theory further ;-)

I may well do this again, my plant photo album is getting quite big now... I look forward to you theories again...

 

[familne]

I thought Red was right but got the pics mixed up!

Wild angelica has quite distinctive fruits with broad wings on the ridges.

 

[British Red]

Ahh but I was working only on the flowers. TBH I didn't mistype - I thought I could detect a reddish tinge at the bottom of the stem of the bottom picture and couldn't see any in the top picture. My book doesn't mention the reddish stem on either but I knew hemlock had red blotches so I assumed (wrongly) that the bottom one was hemlock related. Schoolboy error

Red

 

[xylaria]

Famous last words "OOPS! I think I have made a mistake "

Both plants smell very different, and angelika has these wierd fat stalks on the stem. The scary thing with hemlock water dropwort is that it looks like parsley and smells like it too.

There is six members of the Oenanthe genus that grow in britain and they are all poisonous. There are other plants such as Hemlock, fools parsley and cowbane as well.

Good thread, to get your old nogget going.

 

[John Fenna]

So I will stick to bacon butties in future!
Mind you angelica smells good - hemlock doesn't.......

 

[Greg]

Although I guessed wrong at the start(and it was purely a guess) I have enjoyed reading this thread, I've found I have learned more on this forum about plants & fauna than reading any book.
Thanks Jon and thanks to everyone else too.:You_Rock_

 

[Toddy]

Good thread Jon; thought provoking
Makes us think about how we recognize plants. I kind of expect to find certain plants in certain habitats and in their seasons. I think it;'s time I did some work on the white umbellifleurs

OT
The wild Angelica is reported to be used as a paste to kill headlice......thought that might interest those of us who work with children.......I can't find any other info on this though and I'm slightly wary because there are reports, despite the fact that the Angelica is edible, that collecting the stems for candying can sometimes result in blistering dermatitis.
Does anyone have any experience of using the Angelicas as an insecticide?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[dave k]

this would be a fantastic secion to be added to the website. Perhaps not a test, but just a couple of pages comparing similar plants over time?

I got it wrong by the way