Water dropwort
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
See Oenanthe for the bird genus of this name.
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Oenanthe aquatica
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O. aquatica - Fine-leafed water dropwort |
The Oenanthe or water dropworts is a genus of plants from the family Apiaceae. Oenanthe is derived from the Greek oinos "wine" and anthos "flower", from the wine-like scent of the flowers.[1]
Several of the species, most notably O. crocata, are extremely poisonous, the active poison being oenanthotoxin. 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.
O. javanica, Japanese parsley is grown in Japan, Korea, Taipei County, China, Malaysia, India, where the spring growth ("seri" セリ in Japanese, "minari" 미나리 in Korean), is relished as a vegetable.
[edit] References
- ^ Dropwort, Hemlock Water. A Modern herbal. Botanical.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.

