If not Hemlock Water Dropwort, then what?

[GavinM]

Hello everyone.

I thought I had correctly identified this as Hemlock Water Dropwort, thanks to its position near running water and its parsley-like leaves. Now, thanks to those long upper bracts and the shape of its little umbels, I'm not so sure. Does anyone know what it is?

Thanks!

 

[Toddy]

Fool's parsley.
It's poisonous.

You can tell it by the smell and by the long bracts that hang down under the flowerheads.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Toddy]

Looking again at your photo though, and not just a quick glance....the hanging bracts on fool's parsley are quite distinct the way they hang down, and those ones aren't.

http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Aethusa+cynapium

Not sure. Sorry.

It's not wild carrot, that has a bristley flower stem.
It's not wild parsnip which has a yellow flower.
It's not ordinary parsely which has no bracts hanging or surrounding.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[GavinM]

The mystery continues... odd, isn't it? Thanks for having a go, Toddy.

 

[Toddy]

Yeah, I want to know too

M

 

[cranmere]

What does it smell like? I find the smell is sometimes useful in identifying umbellifers.

 

[GavinM]

Yes I've been thinking that, too. I will need to make a little trip back to Canterbury to find out. Next time i'm in the city I'll go sniffing around.

 

[Harvestman]

What about Parsley water dropwort, Oenanthe lachenalii ? Odds are in favour of a water dropwort of some sort.

 

[GavinM]

Thanks Harvestman. I do find a description of Oenanthe lachenalii that mentions long bracts, but Oenanthe lachenalii doesn't seem to have the parsley-like, HWD-like leaves that my find did. In fact the leaves of Oenanthe lachenalii are apparently 'narrow' and 'sparse', so I think we can rule it out in this case. Thank you though!

 

[Toddy]

I don't know that one Mike, but I'm going to have a good read and see if I can fix the details in my mind

cheers,
M

 

[Toddy]

What about cutleaf water parsnip ?
Berula erecta

M

 

[Elgatoloco]

What about cutleaf water parsnip ?
Berula erecta

M

cut leaf parsnip got different leaves, this is some celery family plant for sure. Apium graveolens?
Edit: don't have access to my books at the moment, but will defo check after getting home!

 

[Toddy]

No, that one has yellow flowers.

Broad leaved chevril has flower spreads with the green bract bits coming up through like that OP though.
Chaerophyllum aromaticum - Broad-leaved Chervil

M

 

[Harvestman]

What about cutleaf water parsnip ?
Berula erecta

M

I agree with Elgatoloco that the leaves are wrong for that one, which is one that I know.

 

[Harvestman]

Thanks Harvestman. I do find a description of Oenanthe lachenalii that mentions long bracts, but Oenanthe lachenalii doesn't seem to have the parsley-like, HWD-like leaves that my find did. In fact the leaves of Oenanthe lachenalii are apparently 'narrow' and 'sparse', so I think we can rule it out in this case. Thank you though!

Yeah, the leaves had me worried there too. I was guessing. I still favour a water dropwort, but I really don't know.

 

[Harvestman]

Right, I asked the county botanist for gwent what this is and she said that it is hemlock water drop wort and the long bracts are entirely normal. So your first instinct was right.

 

[Toddy]

........without purple splotched stems ?
https://foragekent.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/p1030007.jpg

and it doesn't have those green bracts in amongst the flower head that show in op post.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=he...m%2Fmay%2Fhemlock-water-dropwort.html;310;275

M

 

[Toddy]

So, HWD, doesn't need to have the purple splotches, and it can have long bracts ?

M

 

[cranmere]

Oh bother. This thread has caused me to order a copy of a book specifically on identifying umbellifers.

 

[Toddy]

Well I've just hauled out three of mine, one specifically on white umb's which are now apparantly known as Apiaceae now, and they all say purple splotches and no mention of the greenery in the flower head.

Maybe they're very young ones ? and if we saw the whole plant we might think it more the HWD ? The flowers do spread out as they get older, ending up sometimes 15cms across.



I'd like to see enough detail to fix it clearly in my mind though.

There are only four poisonous white ones in the country; I'd really rather get them right

atb,
M