From the days of the earliest settlements in Nevada the poison 

 parsnip (water hemlock) has been known as a poisonous plant. Long; 

 before the white people came into the country its properties were known 

 to the Indians, who used it as a means of suicide. The roots and the 

 earliest green growth are violently poisonous to all kinds of live stock 

 and every year cause losses of cattle, horses, and sheep. The greatest 

 losses are of cattle, perhaps largely because they are more frequently 

 pastured where the plant is abundant. 



Common Names of Water Hemlock. 



In Nevada, as in other Western States, this poisonous plant is usually 

 called Poison Parsnip or Wild Parsnip. In some other States it is 



Figure 3. The Leaf of the Poison Parsnip. The leaflets 

 grow in little groups by twos and threes, and the edge of 

 each leaflet is sharply saw-toothed. 



often called Cow-bane. Perhaps the best common name is Water 

 Hemlock. The scientific name of the kind found in Nevada is Cicuta 

 occidentalis. Throughout the northern half of the world there are 

 many other kinds of Cicuta, all of which contain deadly poisons. 



Description of Plant. 



The poison parsnip belongs to the parsley family. Mature plants 

 are from two to six feet high. The largest leaves are at the bases of the 



