Cicuta maculata L.

Stem stout, much branched, to 2 m; principal lvs twice or thrice pinnately compound, with wholly separate lfls, the uppermost less dissected or even simple; lfls linear to lanceolate, 3–10 cm, sharply and coarsely serrate to nearly entire, the primary lateral veins directed to the sinuses, whence one fork often extends into a tooth; umbels numerous, surpassing the leafy shoot, 5–12 cm wide; fr ovoid to orbicular, 2–4 mm, with prominent, rounded, pale brown ribs separated by darker intervals; 2n=22. Swamps, marshes, and ditches; N.S. and Que. to Alas., s. to Fla., Calif., and Mex. June–Aug. (C. mexicana) We have only the var. maculata.