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

Cicuta virosa L.
European water-hemlock (Mackenzie's water hemlock)
Apiaceae

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Cicuta virosa
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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 single from a sometimes thickened and chambered base, erect, 0.3-1 m tall.

Leaves:
Stem leaves compound, divided 1-3 times, axils without bulblets; leaflets linear to narrowly lanceolate, midvein on upper leaflet surface scabrous.

Flowers:
Inflorescence terminal in a compound umbel; flowers white to greenish or pinkish.

Fruits:
Rounded, broader than long, 1.5-2 mm long.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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 banks, marshes, lake and pond shores in the montane zone; rare in NE BC; N to AK, YT and NT and E to PQ.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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	S4S5	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 mackenzieana Raup

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

UBC Herbarium Scanned Collection Record
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: 2024-05-16 7:28:29 PM ]

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