Sium suave

Hemlock water parsnip

Family: Apiaceae · Type: perennial · Native

Hemlock water parsnip is a California native perennial found in central Sierra Nevada, central Great Basin, deltaic Great Valley, and central California Ranges in swamps, marshes, and streambanks at elevations below 2,350 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces small white flowers in delicate compound umbels with 10 to 20 slender rays. Growing with robust stems 60 to 120 centimeters tall, it has thick, segmented stems that rise from wet ground. Its large compound leaves feature multiple linear to lanceolate leaflets, 1 to 4 centimeters long, with serrated edges and irregularly cut margins. The fruit is small, approximately 2 to 3 millimeters wide, typical of plants in the parsnip family.

Habitat: Swamps, marshes, streambanks

Bloom period: Jul-Aug

Elevation: < 2350 m

Bioregions: CaRH, c SNH, deltaic GV, GB

California counties: Tulare, Lassen, Modoc, Inyo, Solano, Plumas, Mono, Mendocino, Sacramento, Trinity, San Joaquin, Madera, Napa, Shasta, Mariposa, Siskiyou, Contra Costa, Santa Barbara

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.