Water dropwort

See Oenanthe for the bird genus of this name.

The water dropworts (genus Oenanthe, family Apiaceae) include the following species:

O. aquatica - Fine-leafed water dropwort
O. crocota - Hemlock water dropwort
O. fistulosa - Tubular water dropwort
O. fluviatilis - River water dropwort
O. javanica - Java water dropwort
O. javanica ssp. javanica - Java water dropwort
O. javanica ssp. stolonifera - Stolon water dropwort
O. lachenalii - Parsley water dropwort
O. laciniata - Cutleaf water dropwort
O. peucidanifolia
O. pimpinelloides - Corky-fruited water dropwort; Meadow parsley
O. sarmentosa - Water parsley
O. silaifolia - Narrow-leafed water dropwort

Several of the species, most notably O. crocota, are extremely poisonous. This species closely resembles the Parsnip, both in foliage and the white root. The root is particularly dangerous, as it lacks the unpleasant flavour of the foliage, but is equally toxic: the species is common in wet ditches and streamsides, and the roots are often exposed when drainage ditches are cleared. Livestock fatalities are frequent when these exposed roots are found and eaten in mistake for parsnips, one root being sufficient to kill a cow. Human fatalities are also known in these circumstances.