The Herbarium
Part XII · Lookalikes
Field pair
Water hemlock for cress
Water hemlock and Watercress — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.
Deadly mix-upForage
Water hemlock for cress
A peppery brook green and a convulsant share the same water. One is a mustard. The other is Cicuta.
Watercress is a low, creeping mustard with white four-petal flowers and a pepper bite. Water hemlock is an umbel on a stout, hollow stem. Do not graze unknown plants from a ditch.
The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.