Cicuta virosa L.

Mackenzie's water hemlock (en), Ciguë vireuse (fr), Ciguë vénéneuse (fr), Ciguë aquatique (fr), Cicutaire vireuse (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Apiales > Apiaceae > Cicuta

Characteristics

Plants 70–120 cm. Rootstock 2–4 cm thick, surface tawny, yellow within, exudes yellow sap when cut. Stem solitary, sometimes purplish-tinged. Basal leaves petiolate, petioles 15–30 cm; blade triangular or ovate-triangular, 12–30 × 10–25 cm; pinnae 3-lobed or pinnatifid; ultimate segments linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, 1.5–6 × 0.3–1 cm, serrate to sharply serrate. Upper leaves 1–2-pinnate; ultimate segments narrowly lanceolate, 1–2.5 × 0.2–0.5 cm. Umbels 5–15 cm across; peduncles 2.5–20 cm; bracts absent or 1, linear, ca. 8 mm; rays 6–25, 2–6 cm, subequal, slender; bracteoles numerous, linear-lanceolate, 3–5 × 0.5–0.9 mm, almost as long as flowers, rarely longer; umbellules 15–35-flowered; pedicels 4–8 mm. Calyx teeth 0.3–0.5 mm, unequal. Petals ca. 1.2 × 1 mm. Fruit 2–3.5 × 1.8–3 mm. Fl. and fr. Jul–Sep.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread hydrochory
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 1.1 - 1.2
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Ditches, shallow muddy waters and marshes.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 6-9
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 4-9

Usage

Uses coffee substitute insecticide medicinal poison
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Poison (root), Anticonvulsants (root), Epilepsy (root), Meningitis (root), Somnambulism (root), Trismus (root), Poison (unspecified), Fatality (unspecified), Homeopathy (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Sleep wake disorders (unspecified), Anti-poisoning (whole plant)
Human toxicity very strong toxic (whole)
Animal toxicity very strong toxic (whole)

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Cicuta virosa habit picture by Alyona Appel (cc-by-sa)
Cicuta virosa habit picture by Alyona Appel (cc-by-sa)
Cicuta virosa habit picture by Bjent (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Cicuta virosa leaf picture by Alyona Appel (cc-by-sa)
Cicuta virosa leaf picture by Gert-Jan (cc-by-sa)
Cicuta virosa leaf picture by Christophe Pelé (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Cicuta virosa flower picture by S R (cc-by-sa)
Cicuta virosa flower picture by kathy gilbert (cc-by-sa)
Cicuta virosa flower picture by Alyona Appel (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Cicuta virosa fruit picture by Bas Bas (cc-by-sa)
Cicuta virosa fruit picture by Юрий Басов (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Cicuta virosa world distribution map, present in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Georgia, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova (Republic of), Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, and United States of America

Conservation status

Cicuta virosa threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:840414-1
WFO ID wfo-0000604532
COL ID VB5S
BDTFX ID 17353
INPN ID 91199
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Cicuta angustifolia Cicuta baldacciana Cicuta cellulosa Cicuta nipponica Cicuta orientalis Cicuta tenuifolia Cicutaria aquatica Selinum virosum Cicuta mackenzieana Cicutaria virosa Coriandrum cicuta Cicuta virosa var. latisecta Cicuta virosa var. orientalis Cicuta virosa var. nipponica Cicuta virosa f. angustifolia Cicuta virosa f. latisecta Cicuta virosa f. longiinvolucellata Cicuta virosa var. virosa Cicuta pumila Cicuta virosa