Conium maculatum L.

Grande ciguë (fr), Ciguë tachée (fr), Ciguë maculée (fr), Ciguë tachetée (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Apiales > Apiaceae > Conium

Characteristics

Coarse biennial herb up to 2 m tall; stems usually blotched with purple or sometimes with yellow. Leaf pinnules coarsely cut, ultimate lobes oblong or elliptic, acute or subacute, entire, only the larger ones sometimes toothed. Umbels more or less hemispherical in outline when dry, 30-60 mm across at anthesis. Umbellules generally (9-)14-16(-18), 8-10 mm across at anthesis. Bracteoles ±(2-)3(-6), 1 or 2 often much reduced, ±2-4 x 1-1.5 mm, broadly lanceolate, shortly to deeply united at base, or very rarely (Turkestan) linear and free. Flowers white. Mericarps 3-5 x 1.5-2 mm, suborbicular or ± square in transverse section with 5 ± equally spaced prominent ribs on the outer face, pericarp greenish-brown or reddish-brown, ribs pallid, smooth, undulate or rugose. Endosperm (in transverse section of a ripe mericarp) suborbicular, smoothly rounded or frequently more or less sulcate.
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Erect annual or biennial, with foetid odour when crushed. Stems hollow, striate, up to 2-(3) m high, usually light green and purple spotted or blotched, sometimes tinged purplish or pink, particularly toward base. Lvs 2-4-pinnate; ultimate segments narrowly or broadly ovate to deltoid, pinnatisect or serrate, 5-40 mm long; petioles light green and purple blotched when mature; stem lvs similar to basal, but shortly petiolate and 1-3-pinnate. Umbels 1-8 cm diam.; rays 4-16; bracts c. 4-8, narrow-triangular, acuminate, reflexed; bracteoles 3-6, triangular, confined to outer side of umbellets. Fls numerous, white, c. 2 mm diam. Fr. dark brown, 2.5-3 mm long; ribs slender, light brown, often crenulate.
Plants 80–200(–300) cm, essentially glabrous. Basal leaves on long-petioles, petioles 7–25 cm, sheaths small, narrow; blades 2–3-pinnate, 10–30 × 6–28 cm, finely divided; pinnae petiolulate; ultimate segments oblong or ovate-lanceolate, 1–3 × 0.5–1 cm, short-petiolulate, incised or pinnatifid. Leaves gradually reduced upwards. Umbels 4–7 cm across, lateral umbels overtopping the terminal; peduncles 2–7 cm; bracts 4–6, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 2–5 mm, reflexed; rays 10–20, 1.5–4 cm, unequal; bracteoles 5–6, ovate, 1.5–3 mm, fused at base; pedicels 10–20, 1–5 mm, unequal. Petals ca. 1.5 × 1 mm. Fruit 2–4 × 1.5–2.5 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Aug. n = 11.
A plant which usually grows over 2 years but can grow as an annual. It grows 2-2.5 m high. The stems are hollow. They are pale green with purple patches. The leaves at the base are in a ring. The leaves are pale green and large. They are divided twice. The segments are oblong or sword shaped. The edges have deep teeth. The leaf stalk sheaths the stem. The flowers have small white petals which curve inwards. The flowers are in a compound head. (The plant should not be confused with parsley nor the seeds with anise.) Both the fruit and leaves are poisonous.
Stem freely branched, to 3 m, purple-spotted; lvs 2–4 dm, broadly triangular-ovate, 3–4 times pinnately compound, the ultimate segments ovate-oblong, 4–10 mm, toothed or incised; umbels 4–6 cm wide, the terminal one blooming first but soon overtopped by others; fr broadly ovoid, 3 mm, the pale brown ribs very prominent when dry; 2n=22. Native of Eurasia, now widely intr. as a weed in waste places from Que. to Fla., w. to the Pacific. This is the hemlock of classical antiquity. All parts of the plant are very poisonous.
Terminal umbels on short peduncles, overtopped by the longer-peduncled laterals. Bracts and bracteoles well developed, lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, often with a whitish margin, somewhat caducous. Umbels with up to 20 rays 2–3·5 cm. long, partial umbels with 6–15 flowers on pedicels 2–5 mm. long.
Leaves up to 35 cm. long, 2–3-pinnate, broadly ovate to deltate in outline; ultimate segments lanceolate to elliptic, deeply and coarsely divided, apices of the lobes slightly mucronate; petioles up to 10 cm. long, dilated at the base to form a conspicuous sheath.
Fruit ovoid to suborbicular, somewhat laterally compressed; Stylopodium depressed; styles deflexed with somewhat swollen bases. Ribs well developed, either linear or very distinctly undulate; vittae 0; seed channelled on the inner face.
Stem with rather fine, regular grooving, often with irregular, characteristic purple spots, but sometimes unspotted especially in southern Africa.
Erect, glabrous biennial herb up to 2 m. with a somewhat fleshy taproot.
Like C. sphaerocarpum but stem speckled below and mericarps ribbed.
Calyx teeth obsolete; petals white with a short inflexed tip.
Life form biennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 1.0
Mature height (meter) 2.0
Root system tap-root
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

It grows in subtropical and temperate places. It grows in cool, moist, sunny locations. Tasmania Herbarium.
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Waste ground and in damp places, avoiding acid soils and heavy shade.
Light 6-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-4
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-7

Usage

CAUTION: This plant is poisonous. It has been used in medicine but should not be eaten. The poison called Cociine is destroyed by heat so in some places the leaves have been boiled and eaten as a vegetable. The poison is destroyed by drying. It has been reported as eaten in some locations. Cooking the leaves produces a nasty smell.
Uses environmental use material medicinal oil poison vertebrate poison
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Asthma (fruit), Cataract (fruit), Hypnotics and sedatives (fruit), Paralysis (fruit), Parasympatholytics (fruit), Whooping cough (fruit), Love Medicine (root), Poison (root), Poison (unspecified), Antispasmodic (unspecified), Aphrodisiac (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Cancer(Breast) (unspecified), Chorea (unspecified), CNS sedative (unspecified), Delirium (unspecified), Fatality (unspecified), Nervine (unspecified), Paralysis (unspecified), Sclerosis(Glands) (unspecified), Spasm (unspecified), Tumor (unspecified), Tumor(Breast) (unspecified), Tumor(Scrotum) (unspecified), Wen (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Sedative (unspecified), Tetanus (unspecified), Aphrodisiacs (unspecified), Bipolar disorder (unspecified), Central nervous system diseases (unspecified), Contraceptive agents (unspecified), Epilepsy (unspecified), Hypnotics and sedatives (unspecified), Neurotic disorders (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Whooping cough (unspecified)
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°) -29
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Conium maculatum habit picture by Sergio costantini (cc-by-sa)
Conium maculatum habit picture by Michel SIGART (cc-by-sa)
Conium maculatum habit picture by David Hocken (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Conium maculatum leaf picture by Martella Gabriele (cc-by-sa)
Conium maculatum leaf picture by Bello Vicente (cc-by-sa)
Conium maculatum leaf picture by fieselerstorch (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Conium maculatum flower picture by Caro B (cc-by-sa)
Conium maculatum flower picture by Pou F. Javier (cc-by-sa)
Conium maculatum flower picture by Dietmar Vetter (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Conium maculatum fruit picture by Sergio costantini (cc-by-sa)
Conium maculatum fruit picture by Michel SIGART (cc-by-sa)
Conium maculatum fruit picture by Benoît Nennig (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Conium maculatum world distribution map, present in Afghanistan, Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Eritrea, Spain, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Croatia, Hungary, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Morocco, Moldova (Republic of), Mexico, North Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam, Yemen, and South Africa

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:840668-1
WFO ID wfo-0000617964
COL ID XP6T
BDTFX ID 18660
INPN ID 92237
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Cicuta officinalis Conium maculatum Conium nodosum Conium sibiricum Conium strictum Conium tenuifolium Coriandrum maculatum Selinum conium Coriandrum cicuta Cicuta major Conium croaticum Conium leiocarpum Conium maculosum Conium ceretanum Conium cicuta Cicuta major Sium conium Conium pyrenaicum Conium maculatum var. barceloi Conium maculatum subsp. croaticum Conium maculatum var. divaricatum Conium maculatum subsp. divaricatum Conium maculatum var. immaculatum Conium maculatum var. leiocarpum Conium maculatum subsp. leiocarpum Conium maculatum var. viride Conium maculatum subsp. viride