There’s A Deadly Plant Growing In Vermont That Looks Like A Wild Leek
By Marla S.|Published August 14, 2023
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Marla S.
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Marla is a professional writer with experience creating content such as blogs, newsletters, web copy, and marketing materials for her clients in the travel, health, and education industries.
Previously, Marla had lived and or traveled to over 35 countries. She's also called Boston, New York, San Francisco, and Brattleboro, Vermont home. Aside from taking every opportunity to explore the globe, Marla also enjoys spending quality time with her dog, learning languages, and working on her novel.
Don’t you agree when we say that Vermont is the place to be if you’re a fan of spending time outside? While there’s so much to do outdoors when you’re in the Green Mountain State, we want you to be aware of false hellebore. This deadly plant in Vermont can easily be mistaken for a wild leek (also known as ramps). Therefore, if you’re planning to forage for leeks, we suggest learning more about false hellebore before you go.
There are so many ways to enjoy the outdoors in Vermont. This includes hiking, skiing, splashing around in a water hole, and enjoying the fall foliage.
If you ingest false hellebore, you might experience numbness, low blood pressure, tingling, dizziness, and slow breathing. Eating this deadly plant can also lead to heart problems.
If you are experiencing these symptoms or believe you've eaten false hellebore, contact your local poison control and seek medical attention right away!
While false hellebore has pleated-looking leaves, wild leeks (shown below), have flat leaves.
Wild leeks also strongly smell like onion, so give your foraged finds a sniff! False hellebore does not have a strong smell, so this is a good way to tell the two apart.
Now that you know about false hellebore, stay clear when you’re in nature and planning to hunt for wild leeks. And while false hellebore won’t make you sick by merely touching it, another way to protect yourself from plants that do is to use these poison ivy exposure wipes from REI when you’re in the yard or taking a hike as well.
While you’ll want to avoid false hellebore, we suggest checking out some stunning peony fields in Vermont when they’re in season. Enjoy!
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