Field Guide to Noxious and Other Selected Weeds of British Columbia

Water Hemlock (Cicuta douglasii)

Photo courtesy BC Ministry of Forests

highly toxic native plant in the Parsley Family
hollow, jointed stems grow 1 to 2 metres tall; oval leaflets with saw-toothed margins; leaflet veins tend to end at the base of the notch on leaf edge; enlarged taproot with horizontal hollow chambers. These contain an extremely poisonous oil (cicutoxin). CAUTION: Clean knife blades well if used for cross-sectioning roots.
found throughout British Columbia in sloughs, wet meadows, streambanks and other wet areas

Hollow chambered root contains an extremely poisonous toxin (cicutoxin)

Photo courtesy Alistair McLean, Agriculture and AgriFood Canada

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