Cicuta virosa

Cicuta virosa, commonly called cowbane or northern water hemlock, is a poisonous perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Cicuta, in the family Apiaceae, native to northern and central Europe, northern Asia and northwestern North America. It grows 1 to 2 meters tall, with smooth, branching stems that are swollen at the base, purple striped and hollow except at the partitions where leaves attach, and alternate, tripinnate leaves with coarse teeth, coarser than the delicate, ferny foliage typical of related plants in the carrot family. Its flowers are small and white, arranged in umbrella shaped clusters, and an oily yellow liquid with a rank smell resembling parsnips or carrots oozes from cuts to the stems and roots; the tuberous, clustered roots can be mistaken for parsnips. The plant inhabits wet meadows, streambanks and marshy areas, and contains cicutoxin, which disrupts the central nervous system; a single bite of the root, which carries the highest concentration of the toxin, can be enough to cause death. The IUCN lists the species as Least Concern.