Water hemlock (Cicuta douglasii)
Synonyms: Cicuta maculata L. var. californicaCommon Names: Western water hemlock, Douglas's water-hemlock
Description: Extremely toxic, contains the chemical cicutoxin, which acts directly on the central nervous system. Can cause death if ingested.
Habit: Perennial growing 2-6 feet in height with a thick rootstalk containing numerous small chambers.
Leaves: 3 times pinnately divided into narrow lance-shaped to oblong leaflets 1/3-4 in. long, coarsely saw-toothed. Secondary veins end at gap between teeth.
Stems: Single to few arising from a thickened base with open chambers. Sap turns reddish brown when exposed to air.
Flowers: White to greenish flowers in 15-30 small crowded clusters form a mostly bractless umbel.
Fruit and seeds: Two seeds for each flower. Seeds germinate in the spring.
Habitat: Native to North America. Commonly found in wet places such as marshes, stream banks, slough margins, ditches, meadows and wet pastures.
Reproduction: Seed dispersal through wind, water, machinery, clothing or transported soil. Rootstocks can also produce new plants.
Similar species: Spotted water hemlock (Cicuta maculata).
Credits: The information provided in this factsheet was gathered from Turner Photographics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and USDA Agricultural Research Service.
Individual species images that appear with a number in a black box are courtesy of the Bugwood.org network (http://www.invasive.org). Individual photo author credits may not be included due to the small display size of the images and subsequent difficulty of reading the provided text. All other images appear courtesy of Google (http://images.google.com).