A toxic plant, Water Hemlock prefers wetter locations and grows .5 to 1 meter in height. It has small clusters of white flowers in an umbrella formation. The plant may resemble common yarrow or cow parsnip that are also in the carrot/parsley family. Water Hemlock is inconspicuous in appearance but highly toxic. The toxin cicutoxin acts directly on the central nervous system and is a violent convulsant. Symptoms can appear in as little as 10 minutes. Primary methods for poisoning are ingestion, however skin contact may also cause a reaction.  The attached pictures give an idea what the plant looks like.  

The public is advised to keep away from this plant if discovered growing at a Dallas Park and immediately contact the Poison Control Center if exposed.

In dealing with invasive plant species, Dallas Park and Recreation considers non-chemical control methods such as physical removal first as part of its Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. However, because of the toxicity of Water Hemlock, hand pulling or mowing the plant presents a high level of risk to city employees and risk of inadvertent exposure to the public during the handling process. Therefore, in consideration of the best way to minimize exposure to both city employees and the public, the department is applying an herbicide to eradicate the plant. A licensed Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator will treat areas where the plant is growing. The herbicide that has been used in the past was Rodeo (a.i. glyphosate) which is approved for use near aquatic environments such as White Rock Lake. The application would be targeted specifically toward Water Hemlock and not to any surrounding vegetation.