Conium maculatum disturbed ground. It is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including silver-ground carpet. The poison hemlock moth ("Agonopterix alstroemeriana") feeds on the plant during its larval stage. "A. alstroemeriana" has been widely used as a biological control agent for "C. maculatum". Poison hemlock flourishes in the spring, when most other forage is gone. All plant parts are poisonous, but once the plant is dried, the poison is greatly reduced, although not gone completely. The plant is poisonous to animals that graze on it. "Conium" contains the piperidine alkaloids coniine, N-methylconiine, conhydrine, pseudoconhydrine and gamma-coniceine
Privet as an invasive plant Privet as an invasive plant See also Privet. Privet refers to any of a number of shrubs or trees in the genus Ligustrum. The genus contains about 50 species native to the Old World and Australasia. Many members of the genus are grown as ornamental plants in parts of the world. Several species of privet have become a nuisance in regions outside its range. In these conditions it is most commonly found wherever there is disturbed soil, soil that is physically perturbed from its natural state through fire or mechanical machinery, such as along fencerows, old fields, ditches, and forest