Cicuta

Scientific name

Cicuta L.

Common names

water hemlock, cowbane or poison parsnip

Family

Apiaceae

Similar genera

Heracleum, Sium

Native distribution

temperatetemperate:
(adj) of the climatic zone between boreal and tropical
regions of the northern hemisphere; mostly North America and Europe

Species cultivated

two species not commonly offered

Cicuta maculata L.

C. douglasii (DC.) J.M.Coult. & Rose

Adventive distribution

may have expanded range within the native distribution

Weed status

Cicuta maculata and C. douglasii are listed as agricultural weeds in several countries.

Habit

erect herb; seasonally terrestrialterrestrial:
(adj) growing on land as opposed to living in water
, emergentemergent:
(adj) (syn. emersed) with parts raised out of the water; extending up out of the water
to riparianriparian:
(adj) growing by rivers or streams; of, adjacent to, or living on, the banks of a river, lake, pond, etc.
or floating

Brief description

Perennial. Glabrousglabrous:
(adj) without hairs or scales
. Rhizomerhizome:
(n) an underground stem, usually growing horizontally, from which both roots and shoots emerge directly; the thick, above-ground stem of ferns
swollen, multi-chambered, containing yellowish oil that becomes reddish brown in air. Stem erect in mature plants, branching, hollow, ribbed, sometimes striped or mottled purple. Leaves al ternateternate:
(adj) in threes
; petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
2–3-imparipinnately compoundcompound:
(adj) with two or more like parts, as in a compound leaf; divided into two or more subsidiary parts or orders, as in a compound inflorescence
, upper leaves may be reduced; leaflets linear to lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
, ellipticelliptical:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
, apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acute, base attenuateattenuate:
(adj) narrowing gradually to a point
, marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
serrateserrate:
(adj) (of a leaf margin) bearing sharp teeth pointing forward or to the apex
, venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
pinnate. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
a terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
or axillaryaxillary:
(adj) in, of, or produced from an axil
compoundcompound:
(adj) with two or more like parts, as in a compound leaf; divided into two or more subsidiary parts or orders, as in a compound inflorescence
umbelumbel:
(n) a flat to convex inflorescence in which the flower pedicels (called rays) all arise from the same point
; involucreinvolucre:
(n) a whorl of bracts subtending a flower, flower cluster, or inflorescence
bracts generally absent, or few; rays numerous. Flowers small, white or greenish-white; pedicellatepedicellate:
(adj) borne on a pedicel
; petals 5.

Natural habitat

in wet meadows, swampy and marshy areas, along rivers, streams and irrigation ditches; in shallow water of lakes

Additional comments

A genus of less than 10 species; all of which are amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
to seasonally aquatic.

Some species (notably Cicuta douglasii) contain a toxin called cicutoxin, which is primarily found in the roots, but is also in above ground portions.