Spotted Water Hemlock

(Cicuta maculata)

Spotted water hemlock is a perennial reproducing by seeds and tuberous roots. Fleshy roots arise from a chambered rootstalk. Perennial roots consist of a bundle of several fingerlike, white tubers that are easily pulled from the soil. Stems are erect, two to six feet tall, branched at the top, hollow inside except at the nodes. Stems are smooth and often mottled with purple, especially at the base. Roots and stems may produce a yellowish oil when cut that is fragrant and poisonous. Leaves are alternate, eight to twelve inches long, compound and smooth with toothed edges. Veins on the leaflets end in the notches. Leaves are divided into three groups of leaflets per leaf. Leaf stalk grasps the stem like a celery bunch. Crushed leaves and stalks smell like parsnips or parsley, sometimes unpleasant. Flowers have five small white petals and are borne in compound terminal umbels with stalks of unequal length.