SafePlants

Water Parsnip: A Detailed Look

Water parsnip is a common name referring to several flowering plants within the Apiaceae (Carrot or Parsley) family. This includes species such as Berula erecta and Sium suave.

Considerations for Pets

• This plant is found in wet environments.

Considerations for Children

• Water parsnip grows in wet areas, such as shallow water and ditches.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Scientific Name: Several species are referred to as water parsnip, including Berula erecta (Huds.) Coville and Sium suave Walt.
• Common Names: Water parsnip, cutleaf water parsnip, hemlock waterparsnip, fragrant water parsnip, great water-sparsnip.
• Family: Apiaceae (also known as Umbelliferae) - the Carrot or Parsley family.
• Synonyms: For Sium suave: Sium cicutaefolium, Sium latifolium, Sium lineare.

Distribution and Habitat

• Water parsnip species are found in wet environments such as ditches, tall-herb fens, swamps, the margins of lakes and rivers, and shallow, slow-moving water.
• Berula erecta has a sub-cosmopolitan distribution, found throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe to China.
• Sium suave is found in areas such as Minnesota and Fermanagh (around Upper Lough Erne).
• Greater Water Parsnip was re-introduced to five new sites in the lower river Witham and Welland in 2004.

Morphological Characteristics

• Greater water-parsnip (Sium latifolium) is described as an upright, robust perennial herb, growing up to 200cm tall.
• Stems are hollow and grooved.
• Leaves can grow up to 30cm long and have stalks. Submerged leaves of Berula erecta are 3 to 4 pinnate.
• It produces large umbels of small white flowers in convex clusters, typically 5 inches across, with groups of 10 to 20 1/8-inch 5-petaled flowers.
• Berula erecta is a hairless, medium to tall, stoloniferous, semi-aquatic plant up to 1 metre tall.
• On moist ground, Water Parsnip initially forms a rosette of basal leaves up to 1' across.
• The roots of water-parsnip are edible.

Ecological Role

• Greater water parsnip is found in wet ditches on species-rich fens and swamps.
• Ditches with greater water parsnip should not be cleaned out too regularly, and sites should not be heavily grazed.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• The flowers of Water Parsnip attract wildlife.

Traditional Uses

• The roots of water-parsnip were widely eaten by Native American tribes.

Important Note

• Water parsnip (Sium suave) can be very similar in appearance to the highly poisonous Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata). Exercise caution when identifying this plant.
• When viewing photos of this plant, ensure that the leaves and stems being examined are actually those of the Water Parsnip and not Watercress, which can permeate the photo.