If not Hemlock Water Dropwort, then what?

[redneck]

It could be the angle that the picture was taken but the umbels look nothing like any HWD I've ever seen.. Are they fully mature?

 

[Harvestman]

Hemlock has purple blotches. Hemlock water dropwort does not.

The image may be deceptive because the flower umbels are not mature, which may be throwing people off. the foliage certainly looks like HWD, and I trust my source who is a botanist of 40+ years experience and the county plant recorder.

 

[Harvestman]

........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

That first picture is Hemlock, not HWD Mary.

My books say bracts are variable on HWD.

 

[slowworm]

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

M

I didn't think HWD has any purple on it's stem normally. Looking at my "Wild Flower Key" book it says the bracts are deciduous (if I've read it correctly).

 

[Toddy]

Water hemlock leaves terminate in v notches, and it too has purple on it's stems.

Which hemlock do you mean ? there are four.

Tsuga, a genus of coniferous trees
Conium, two species,
Cicuta (water hemlock)
Oenanthe crocata (water dropwort)

I'm presuming you don't mean the tree

It's not me quibbling Mike, it's me asking for real clarity.

cheers,
M

 

[Harvestman]

Water hemlock leaves terminate in v notches, and it too has purple on it's stems.

Which hemlock do you mean ? there are four.

Tsuga, a genus of coniferous trees
Conium, two species,
Cicuta (water hemlock)
Oenanthe crocata (water dropwort)

I'm presuming you don't mean the tree

It's not me quibbling Mike, it's me asking for real clarity.

cheers,
M

That's fine. In a group like this, clarity is needed. I'm referring to Oenanthe crocata, which is what my contact has identified the OP's plant as. I think your purple-blotched stems are from Conium maculatum, as none of my books indicate purple blotches in Oenanthe.

The foliage in the OP's shot looks like Oenanthe crocata too.

Cicuta confused me for a bit, because in my books it is called Cowbane, not water hemlock. Hence the need for the specific names.

I think the difficulties that we are all having just highlights the problems that there are in identification of this difficult group.

 

[cranmere]

I'm tentatively saying fool's parsley Aethusa cynapium. Pictures show bracteoles that can be quite variable in size and quantity. I can't find any illustrations of HWD with bracteoles.

http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/fools-parsley

 

[Harvestman]

I'm tentatively saying fool's parsley Aethusa cynapium. Pictures show bracteoles that can be quite variable in size and quantity. I can't find any illustrations of HWD with bracteoles.

http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/fools-parsley

Don't the bracts in Fool's parsley hang downwards, and the foliage is more finely cut.

My botanical contact said "I think the umbellifer is just Oenanthe crocata as that does have long bracts below the flowers, and the leaves and flowers look right."