I’ve been introducing you to members of the Carrot Family (Apiaceae) including the edible Wild Carrot (aka Queen Anne’s Lace, Daucus carota) and edible but phototoxic Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa). Today it’s one of the most poisonous plants in North America: the definitely not edible Spotted Water-Hemlock (Cicuta maculata).
This is a beautiful, native plant that’s flowering now across PEI, most notably in the roadside ditches of Prince County (Photo 1). It’s a good plant for all outdoorspeople to know because it hits the poisonous plant trifecta: it contains a fast-acting toxin, looks a bit like some edible plants, and often grows alongside plants that are edible. As a result, each year there are human poisonings from Spotted Water-Hemlock, generally from it having been mis-identified and intentionally eaten, or accidentally mixed in with foraged wild plants. Unfortunately, this plant lacks some of the warning signs of other toxic species: the root smells like edible parsnip or turnip and reportedly tastes sweet.
All parts of Spotted Water-Hemlock – but especially the root – contain a chemical called cicutoxin. Even small amounts can produce dramatic effects within an hour or less. Symptoms include intense abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, kidney failure, seizures, and coma. Although there is no antidote, research is looking at diazepam as a potential future option; in the meantime, prompt medical treatment can be effective. A review of documented Spotted Water-Hemlock poisonings in the US found 70% of patients survived with supportive treatment.
Plant blindness is real. Although Spotted Water Hemlock doesn’t look that much like edible relatives, people have consumed it thinking it was Wild Carrot, Wild Parsnip, or Wild Caraway (Carum carvi), among others. On PEI, Spotted Water-Hemlock often grows alongside plants with edible roots such as Cat-tail (Typha latifolia, as shown in Photo 1), Water Plantain (Alisma triviale), and Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia). Care is needed to identify Spotted Water-Hemlock and ensure none is mixed with your harvest.
Fortunately, identification is easy. Spotted Water-Hemlock is a tall plant (often up to two metres [six feet]) of ditches, meadows and freshwater wetlands. Neither its height nor its flower (Photo 2) is enough to positively distinguish Spotted Water-Hemlock from its relatives though. You also need to look at the leaf and stem. Like other members of the Carrot Family, Spotted Water-Hemlock leaves are divided into leaflets, but they are not feathery like Wild Carrot and are branched, unlike Wild Parsnip. An important distinction is that the veins of Spotted Water-Hemlock leaves end in the low spots between the pointed teeth rather than at the points (Photo 3). It’s also critical to look at the stem: if it has dark red stripes and no hairs, it’s Spotted Water-Hemlock (Photo 4).
PEI has native plants that can burn, pierce, or sting you; others that can make you sick; and some like Spotted Water-Hemlock that can be fatal. That’s no reason to fear – or worse, persecute – these species, but it is a good reason to learn to identify them. They are all fascinating parts of PEI untamed!
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