Poison Parsnip
Cicuta maculata · Apiaceae
How it looks
Poison Parsnip is a member of the carrot family with purple-spotted stems and feather-divided leaves. Small white flowers gather in umbrella-shaped clusters. It stands 3–7 ft (1–2 m) tall, grows in wetlands, and carries a high risk of being mistaken for wild water dropwort or carrot.
Dangerous — fatal neurotoxin; see a vet immediately
This is a deadly poisonous plant containing cicutoxin. Seizures and respiratory failure progress rapidly and can be fatal. If you suspect your cat has ingested any, go to a veterinary hospital immediately.
If ingested
Contact your nearest vet immediately
- Onset
- 15 minutes to 2 hours after ingestion
- Symptoms
- Vomiting, Excessive salivation, Trembling, Seizures, Respiratory failure, Death
- Action
- Go to an animal hospital immediately. Don't wait — treatment before seizures begin is what matters most.
Guide for parents
Spotted water hemlock is anything but the mild plant its parsnip nickname suggests. Also known simply as water hemlock, it's a deadly Cicuta-genus plant whose entire body carries the powerful neurotoxin cicutoxin — so even a small amount can escalate rapidly to tremors, seizures, and respiratory failure, ending in death.
Telling it apart from similar carrot-family plants
Spotted water hemlock (Cicuta maculata) is in the same genus as cowbane; both share cicutoxin and pose essentially the same danger. Poison hemlock is in the same family but carries a different, coniine-type neurotoxin. All three resemble carrot or parsley greens and are easy to confuse, so with any unfamiliar carrot-family plant outdoors, keep your cat away from it before worrying about the species.
How cats get exposed
You'd never bring it indoors, but exposure happens on walks and outings. It grows near water and in wetlands, and the roots and stems are especially dangerous. A cat can be exposed by chewing an unfamiliar waterside plant or licking a broken stem.
How symptoms progress
Cicutoxin acts fast: signs usually begin within 15 minutes to 2 hours with vomiting, heavy drooling, and tremors. Violent seizures follow, and if it progresses to respiratory failure it can be fatal — so starting treatment before seizures set in is key.
What to do right now
If your cat may have chewed an unfamiliar carrot-family plant by water, get to a vet immediately even without symptoms — don't wait. Arriving before seizures begin can decide the outcome; if you can, bring a photo or a piece of the plant to show the vet.
Details
- Scientific name
- Cicuta maculata
- Common name
- Poison Parsnip
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Toxic parts
- All parts
- Compounds
- Cicutoxin, Cicutin
- Source
- ASPCA
Related plants
Same plant family· Apiaceae
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