How do you recognise Hemlock water-dropwort (Oenanthe crocata)?

Leaf

Alex Lockton (E Wusk) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hemlock water-dropwort

Oenanthe crocata L.

Also known as: Dead man's fingers

Family: Apiaceae

80 cm to 1.5 m tall

Ditches, riverbanks and pond margins, wet and marshy meadows

Flowering: June – August

Full sun

Part shade

Hardy, to about -15°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

The saffron-yellow liquid that oozes from its cut root is a useful clue, but not a guarantee on its own: hikers who mistook it for wild parsnip or celery have died from it — never eat a wild root without absolute certainty. Hemlock water-dropwort has swollen roots that exude a saffron-yellow liquid when cut, whereas cultivated parsnip has no such coloured liquid. This is only one clue among others: if you have the slightest doubt about a wild root resembling a parsnip, never eat it — hemlock water-dropwort is one of the most toxic plants in Europe.

🍃 Leaves

Divided, bright green; submerged leaves finely cut, aerial leaves broader

🌸 Flowers

Small white flowers in large compound umbels

🍎 Fruits

Small ribbed cylindrical fruits

🪵 Bark

Perennial with sturdy, hollow, ridged, hairless, light green flowering stems

🗺️ Distribution

Atlantic and southern Europe; found in ditches and wetlands in western and southern France

🐝 Value for pollinators

White umbels visited by a few insects, of no horticultural interest because of its extreme toxicity

✂️ Horticultural uses

None; a plant to be removed from the margins of water points used by livestock or walkers

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Extremely toxic, among the most dangerous plants in Europe — even more toxic than hemlock: a single piece of root can be fatal. Swollen roots exude a saffron-yellow liquid when cut, containing oenanthotoxin in very high concentration, especially in winter and early spring. Never eat, even in small quantities.

⚠️ Look-alike species

Hemlock water-dropwort

Oenanthe crocata

Parsnip

Pastinaca sativa

Hemlock water-dropwort has swollen roots that exude a saffron-yellow liquid when cut, whereas cultivated parsnip has no such coloured liquid. This is only one clue among others: if you have the slightest doubt about a wild root resembling a parsnip, never eat it — hemlock water-dropwort is one of the most toxic plants in Europe.

🌿 Other Apiaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.