E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Cicuta douglasii (DC.) J.M. Coult. & Rose
Douglas' water-hemlock (western water hemlock)
Apiaceae

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Cicuta douglasii
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Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Stout perennial herb from a taproot or cluster of tuberous roots; stems solitary or few together from a tuberous-thickened and chambered base, leafy, glabrous, 0.5-2 m tall.

Leaves:
Basal and stem leaves divided 1-3 times, leaflets 3-4 times as long as broad, lanceolate to narrowly oblong or elliptic, these sharply pointed and toothed, 4-7 mm long; lateral veins ending at base of the teeth.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of several to many small, compact clusters forming several compound umbels; flowers white to greenish; involucral bracts mostly lacking.

Fruits:
Egg-shaped to orbicular, 2-4 mm long, glabrous, corky-thickened; ribs unequal, with a narrow raised border on edge of dark intervals.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
White

Blooming Period:
Late Spring

Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer

Source: The USDA

Key to the Species and Taxonomic Notes

KEY TO CICUTA

1. Axils of leaves with bulblets; leaflets with narrowly linear segments C. bulbifera

1. Axils of leaves without bulblets; leaflets lanceolate.

2. Fruits slightly broader than long; midvein on upper leaflet surface scabrous C. virosa

2. Fruits from as broad as long to longer than broad; midvein on upper leaflet surface glabrous.

3. Leaflets 3-4 times as long as broad, lanceolate to narrowly oblong or elliptic; fruit with a narrow raised border along edge of dark interval C. douglasii

Leaflets more than 5 times as long as broad, linear to narrowly lanceolate; fruit without a raised border along edge of dark interval C. maculata

Habitat / Range

Wet stream edges, ditches and marshes in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common throughout BC except the Queen Charlotte Islands; N to AK and S to ID, NV and CA.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Cicuta douglasii

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	0	811	2090
Slope Gradient (%)	0	2	80
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	0	174	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	4	6	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	D
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	256
Modal BEC Zone Class	SBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	BG(5), BWBS(8), CDF(5), CWH(46), ESSF(30), ICH(43), IDF(19), MS(7), PP(3), SBPS(4), SBS(72)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Cicuta maculata var. californica (A. Gray) B. Boivin

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer
USDA

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-12 10:38:06 PM ]

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