Waterhemlock (Cicuta spp.)

Stem

• Up to 5 ft. tall, stout, lacks hair (glabrous) and hollow except at nodes; usually with purple streaks ; often branched.

Leaves

• Pinate-comopound; leaflets are lance-shaped. 1-4 in. long and lack hair, edges (margins) are toothed

Flower

• Small, white and arranged in umbrella-like clusters at end of a stalk

Root

• Swollen taproot at stem base that can be cut open to reveal multiple narrow, hollow, horizontal chambers; fluid released from cut stem bases is orange-yellow or brown, has the odor of parsnip and is highly toxic

Other

• Grows best in moist soils; often found in crop fields, roadsides, waste areas and along waterways; known to occur in Carson City, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Nye and White Pine counties; native to North America

• Perennial; reproduces by seed

• Highly toxic to animals and humans, even in small quantities

Control

• Repeated cultivation or hand-removal can be effective (avoid contact with skin)

• Apply 2,4-D or glyphosate to actively growing plants

Images

Mature plant	Roots	Flower
Leaves		Nevada Noxious Weed Guide