Hemlock

This notorious plant (hemlock) was famously used to kill Socrates. All part of the plants are poisonous (containing toxic alkaloids, C₈H₁₇N), but can be used medicinally to relieve pain and reputedly as a cancer cure.

Hemlock is a large poisonous plant growing near cultivation and moist waste places in the hills and is used in spasmodic and convulsive diseases. An alkaloid, conine, is found in the fruit.

Plants 80–200(–300) cm, essentially glabrous. Basal leaves on long-petioles, petioles 7–25 cm, sheaths small, narrow; blades 2–3-pinnate, 10–30 × 6–28 cm, finely divided; pinnae petiolulate; ultimate segments oblong or ovate-lanceolate, 1–3 × 0.5–1 cm, short-petiolulate, incised or pinnatifid. Leaves gradually reduced upwards. Umbels 4–7 cm across, lateral umbels overtopping the terminal; peduncles 2–7 cm; bracts 4–6, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 2–5 mm, reflexed; rays 10–20, 1.5–4 cm, unequal; bracteoles 5–6, ovate, 1.5–3 mm, fused at base; pedicels 10–20, 1–5 mm, unequal. Petals ca. 1.5 × 1 mm. Fruit 2–4 × 1.5–2.5 mm. Fl. and fr. May–Aug. n = 11.

Plants 1-3 m tall, glabrous. Leaves petiolate, bipinnate; segments oval, deeply serrate. Involucre of 5-8 minute, linear to oval bracts. Rays 8-20, unequal, glabrous. Involucel of 3-5, 1-2 mm long, linear to ovate bractlets. Pedicels 2-3 times longer than the flowers. Fruit broadly ovoid, 2-3 mm long, 2-2.5 mm broad; ridges prominent, obtuse, undulate; styles reflexed; vittae numerous, minute.

Distribution: North and South America, Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, Afghanistan, India, W. Pakistan, China.

Fl. Per. June to August.

Forest margins, cultivated field margins. Xinjiang [native to the Mediterranean region, widely naturalized in the N temperate zone].