Apiaceae
Western water hemlock
Cicuta douglasii
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Genus
- Cicuta
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Common names
By language (3)
- Cantonese
- 水毒芹
- English
- Western water hemlock
- Persian
- شوکران آبی غربی
Synonyms
- Cicuta californica A.Gray
- Cicuta fimbriata Greene
- Cicuta frondosa Greene
- Cicuta maculata var. californica (A.Gray) B.Boivin
- Cicuta occidentalis f. frondosa (Greene) Greene
- Cicuta purpurata Greene
- Cicuta sonnei Greene
- Cicuta vagans Greene
- Cicuta virosa var. californica J.M.Coult. & Rose
- Sium douglasii DC.
Flowers
- In flower
- May to July (from 96 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
- Flower colour
- white (USDA PLANTS Database)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Forb/herb
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Alaska: native, Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native
Toxicity: Severe, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Ken-ichi Ueda, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Matt Berger, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Ken-ichi Ueda, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Tom Wainwright, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
LeavesPhoto: Tser, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Steve Dewey, Utah State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Garth Harwood, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: N5jrn, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Erin Springinotic, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Lee Cain, CC BY 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Laura Holloway, CC0, from iNaturalist
More in Cicuta
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.