CORKY-FRUITED WATER-DROPWORT

Oenanthe pimpinelloides

Carrot Family [Apiaceae]

month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug

status
statusZnative
 
flower
flower8white
 
inner
inner8pink
 
morph
morph8hemizygo
 
petals
petalsZ5
 
type
typeZumbel
 
stem
stem8round
 
stem
stem8ribbed
 
stem
stem8hollow
sometimes
toxicity
toxicityZhigh
 
contact
contactZmedium
 
rarity
rarityZuncommon
 
sex
sexZbisexual
 

14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
Grows to a height of 1m and are usually solid, but may have a narrow channel up the centre.


7th Aug 2013, Pennington Marshes, hampshire Photo: © Dawn Nelson
Later in the season - most leaves having withered away, leaving just the fruits at the top.


7th Aug 2013, Pennington Marshes, hampshire Photo: © Dawn Nelson
A surdy plant almost bolt upright. Gosh, this image is exceedingly long...


7th Aug 2013, Pennington Marshes, hampshire Photo: © Dawn Nelson
The stems are strongly grooved or is it ribbed...


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
The umbels are compound, flowers white to cream, perhaps with pinkish tinge.


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
The petals can be pinkish too. The umbels have between 6 to 15 smooth rays which are 1 to 2cm long. The rays thicken after flowering.


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Bracts and bracteoles. These must be (?) what T.G. Tutin calls 'partial umbels' - being a small umbel forming part of a compound umbel. Or maybe not...


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Bracts and bracteoles. Not all umbels have bracts.


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Pinkish anthers. The outermost parts of the outer flowers in an umbellet are sometimes strongly zygomorphic whilst inner flowers are almost actinomorphic (if only they open properly to see them...)


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
Cream coloured anthers.


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Gone to fruit. This bisexual specimen has both bracts and bracteoles. Both bracts and bracteoles are linear-lanceolate, the bracts numbering just 1 to 5, whilst the bracteoles on the umbellets number between 12 to 20. The rays of bisexual umbels thicken when the they are in fruit (compare with two slimmer outer rays which have still to thicken).


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Still unripe fruits.


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Unripe fruits from above. The 2 styles atop are about as long as the fruits.


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Gone to fruit, the fruits are not brown-ripe yet, but taking shape, with 5 looped ridges forming on the outside. (Some of the outermost flowers have inexplicably grown much longer and lack fruits, growing to the same height as the tops of the fruits, the sepals having 5 unequal teeth at their ends - At first your Author thought these were more lower bracts - but they emerge one step up from where the narrow bracts emerge).


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Fruit shape of un-ripe fruits. Ripe fruits have only a slight midriff bulge not very pronounced as here and prominent ridges on their sides.


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
The fruits from above.


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
The terminal umbels have male-flowered umbels with long-stalks (as here) and bisexual-flowered umbels on short stalks (shown on the photo below).


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
Whilst bisexual-flowered umbels are on short stalks. The umbels on the periphery of the plant are also male (not depicted here). Bracts absent on this umbel, but not on all.


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
The leaves from the top progressively down the stem. The upper leaves are linear, without teeth 1 to 2 pinnate without teeth but with lobes 10-30mm long. The lower leaves (the two specimens on the right) are 2-pinnate with long stalks.


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
Leaves nearer the base of the plant. The leaf lobes are about 5mm long.


30th July 2008, Walters Copse Marsh, IoW. Photo: (CC by 2.0) Hilary Higgins
Basal leaf.


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
The un-bloated sheaths beneath the upper stem branches.


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
The leaves near ground-zero level.


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
The below-ground-level roots and just one of the several toxic root tubers, which are ovoidal and much smaller than the parsnip-shaped ones of Hemlock Water-Dropwort.


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield


14th July 2017, the midlands. Photo: © Kerry Woodfield
Upper part of the stem cut in half and the two halves, upper and lower displayed. Stems can be either solid (with a pith) or less often with a narrow hollow channel in the centre.


Not to be semantically confused with : Hemlock (Conium maculatum) [another deadly poisonous umbellifer, but one which is not aquatic and is in a differing genus] nor to Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris) [a plant belonging to the Rose Family]

No relation to : Dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris) [a plant with similar name belonging instead to the Rose Family].

Superficial resemblance to : Narrow-leaved Water-dropwort (Oenanthe silaifolia), but that has far fewer umbels and umbellets and far more leaves with 2-pinnate linear leaves and no other shaped leaves. If uprooted, the tubers beneath soil level are a totally different shape, longish and slowly broadening at their extremities.

The stems also are slightly pinched at intervals up the stem similar to those of Tubular Water-Dropwort (Oenanthe fistulosa). Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

Like all Water-dropworts it is poisonous, but less toxic than Hemlock Water-Dropwort.

It is native but a slightly rare [R] and found in damp meadows and moist grassy places and often beside ponds or ditches, local in central and southern England, even in Devon, South East Yorkshire and Monmouthshire, but is rare in Ireland.


  Oenanthe pimpinelloides  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Apiaceae  

Distribution
 family8Carrot family8Apiaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Oenanthe
Oenanthe
(Water-Dropworts)

CORKY-FRUITED WATER-DROPWORT

Oenanthe pimpinelloides

Carrot Family [Apiaceae]