Both the vegetative bulbets in the leaf axils and the narrow, rather limited leaflets with few if any teeth distinguish this plant from water hemlock (Cicuta maculata). Tiny 5-petalled, white flowers in flattish umbels (1 to 2 inches wide) at the stem tips. All parts are quite poisonous. (Photographed with Ross Kerr - late August)

Bulb-bearing or     Bulbiferous Water Hemlock

Bulb-bearing or     Bulbiferous Water Hemlock

Cicuta bulbifera

Parsley Family - Apiaceae or Umbelliferae

In swamps and at the edges of lakeshores, this sparsely branched herb (1 t o 3 feet tall) with very finely dissected leaves is difficult to adequately photograph.

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