Question: My property in W. Mass has a large patch of some sort of plant that resembles Water Hemlock (C. maculata), …
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Question
My property in W. Mass has a large patch of some sort of plant that resembles Water Hemlock (C. maculata), but I am questioning this ID after researching Aegopodium podagraria. The two look very similar to the plants on my property (which grow on a septic mound). It's possible both occur there. What is the best way to tell the two apart? The leaves look very different, but the flowers seem nearly identical to my eye. The attached photos are from summer 2014.
Answer
Dear vfrano, the plants you have photographed are Aegopodium podagraria. The broad leaf segments are very informative (Cicuta maculata has very different leaves with much smaller ultimate segments)--examine this image: http://newfs.s3.amazonaws.com/taxon-images-1000s1000/Apiaceae/cicuta-maculata-le-dkausen.jpg . Also, the veins on the leaf segments are directed to the sinuses between the teeth in Cicuta maculata (rather than directed to the tips of the teeth in most Apiaceae genera). Best wishes.
