Apiaceae

Spotted water hemlock

Cicuta maculata L.

Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Cicuta

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Spotted water hemlock: Photo of Cicuta maculata in flower. This is a native plant growing wild on Theodore Roosevelt Island, in Washington, D.C., USA. This species is a member of the — Photo: Fritzflohrreynolds, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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Common names

By language (2)

Czech: Rozpuk skvrnitý
English: Spotted water hemlock, Spotted cowbane, Spotted parsley, Suicide root

Synonyms

Cicuta virosa var. maculata J.M.Coult. & Rose

Characteristics

Growth habit: Forb/herb
Lifespan: Biennial, Perennial
In the US and Canada: Alaska: native, Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

Photo: Fritzflohrreynolds, CC BY-SA 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Patrick Alexander from Las Cruces, NM, CC0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Ayotte, Gilles, 1948-, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons

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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.