Carrot Family [Apiaceae] |
status
flower
inner
morph
petals
type
stem
stem
stem
toxicity
23rd July 2016, dunes, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
In shallow fresh-water amidst Common Club-rush, Water Mint, Tubular Water-Dropwort and others. |
23rd July 2016, dunes, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Fool's-Water-cress is the one with 5-8 umbellets of white flowers and the larger simply-pinnate leaves. |
19th July 2020, Nob End Locks, MB&B canal, | Photo: © RWD |
Instead of shooting upwards out of the water, this specimen is sprawling across the surface. [Amongst the floating leaves of Frogbit] |
19th July 2020, Nob End Locks, MB&B canal, | Photo: © RWD |
One half of it, sprawling to the left, but with the leaves heading diagonally upwards. [Amongst the floating leaves of Frogbit] |
19th July 2020, Nob End Locks, MB&B canal, | Photo: © RWD |
Another half of it. The leaflets of the leaves are opposite up the stem with a terminal leaflet at the end. Each leaf has between maybe 2 and maybe up to 5 paired leaflets plus a terminal leaflet. There are several branches with tiny globular umbelets of white flowers. The flowers midway along the stem (as seen on this photo) have turned brownish into fruits, but they are still tiny! [Plus the leaves of Frogbit] |
19th July 2020, Nob End Locks, MB&B canal, | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves are shiny green, oval(ish) with crenate to sawtooth teeth. [Amongst the Fool's Water-cress are the cordate leaves of Frogbit floating on the surface, along with some white 3-petalled flowers also belonging to Frogbit] |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Umbels with between 3 and 15 umbellets. All have hermaphroditic (bisexual) flowers. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Seemingly, umbels are frequently found in the 'armpits' of the plant. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers not yet open on this umbel, enabling us to more clearly see it. Bracts (on the umbel) are usually absent, but there can be up to 2. The rays are 1-2cm long (but can be as short as 3mm) whilst the peduncles (the individual stalks of the flowers) are either very much shorter or almost absent. Bracteoles (bracts around the umbellets) number between 4-7. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Note the short bract paler-green bract along the topmost of the leftmost stem branch. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Unequal length bracteoles in whorls just beneath each umbellet. The rays are scabrid (with very short rough-to-the-touch hairs) |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers with 5 white slightly asymmetrically arranged petals. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Rear view of whorl of bracteoles beneath each umbellet. Stem variously angular or ridged or both. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Each flower with 5 petals, one of which can be slightly longer than the others. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
A whorl of bracteoles beneath an umbellet. You can just about make out some individual but short peduncles (flower stalks). |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The brown things beneath some flowers are the fruits beginning to form as the flowers drop their petals. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Petals all gone; turning to fruit. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Stems hollow. |
23rd July 2016, a pond, Ainsdale dunes, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves with teeth. |
Not to be semantically confused with : Fools Parsley (Aethusa cynapium) [a plant in the same umbellifer family with similar name]
Easily mistaken for : some growth forms (those which are dwarfish with procumbent stems) look very much like
Can be mistaken for Lesser Water-Parsnip (Berula erecta) which also likes to grow in similar damp places but that usually has several (4-7) bracts just beneath the umbel and which are Can also be mistaken for Watercress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum) but that is a Brassicaceae and not an umbellifer which tastes differently, has solid stems (rather than the hollow of Fool's-Water-cress) with flowers with only 4 petals, and with totally different fruits. Hybridizes with :
Grows in wet streams, ditches, pond-edges, in marshes, beside lakes and rivers. It is native and common in the British Isles.
The essential oil from the aerial parts of the plant may contain both
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Apium | nodiflorum | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Apiaceae |
Apium (Marshworts) |
Carrot Family [Apiaceae] |