Note : Please don’t send me photos or ask me to identify trees, plants, berries or mushrooms.
Back in February I posted a recipe for cow parsley soup. Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) is also known as ‘wild chervil’, and whilst I quite like the slightly aniseed taste it gives, I know isn’t for everyone.
But the important thing to be aware of with cow parsley is that it can be mistaken for hemlock (Conium maculatum), in fact the most common foraging question we get asked is “What’s the difference between hemlock and cow parsley?”. Some of you might remember from history that the Greek philosopher Socrates was executed by consuming a hemlock derived drink – it’s highly poisonous so you need to get this right.
I added a couple of photos and a few pointers on the differences between the two in the cow parsley post, but I didn’t add a lot of detail as I’ve never seen any hemlock near our woodland camp to get close up photos. This is because typically (but not always) hemlock grows on damp ground and riversides (although can also be found alongside roads).
However, at the weekend we ran a Wild Foods course at Nethergong Campsite and there was loads of hemlock growing amongst the cow parsley alongside a ditch and we were able to take some photos.
Both hemlock and cow parsley start to grow relatively early in the year, typically in February. When they first emerge you’ll see a circular arrangement of leaves (a rosette) very close to the ground (basal). The main stem typically grows in April, so early on it isn’t present to help with identification (see below) but there are still some good pointers.
At this early stage cow parsley stems are triangular with a groove running down them and have a pink hue.
Hemlock stems are round and have distinctive purple blotches.
As the plants mature and produce a main stem, we get additional information to help us. But before looking at the differences in detail, I first want to look at the two plants as a whole. Mature cow parsley and hemlock just look different. I accept that this might not seem a helpful statement, but it is the case!
Both of the next two photos were taken on the same day at the end of May.
Cow parsley is slender, almost graceful and a much paler shade of green.
Whereas hemlock is sturdier, more robust and is a darker shade of green.
Leaves
In this first photo the cow parsley is on the left and hemlock on the right. The main differences are:
- They are subtly different shades of green – the hemlock is a little darker.
- Cow parsley has a matt finish whilst the hemlock has a slightly glossy sheen.
- Hemlock has finer leaves, more feathery in appearance.
- Cow parsley leaves have a fringe of hairs on both sides of the leaf margin whilst hemlock leaves are glabrous (the botanical term for hairless). You might need to use a lens to check this.
Flowers
- Cow parsley flowers are in an umbel, generally 5 – 6cm across and come out between April and June.
- Hemlock flowers are also in an umbel, are around 2 – 5cm across and come out in June and July.
Main stems
In this next photo cow parsley is again on the left and hemlock on the right.
| Cow parsley | Hemlock |
| Typically up to 1m tall | Typically up to 2m tall |
| Hollow, round stem with furrows | Hollow, round stem |
| Often has a pink/pale purple hue | Distinctive purple blotches on a green stem |
| Slightly hairy stem | Glabrous stem |
Side stems
The botanical term for a side stem is petiole, it’s the stalk that grows out of the stem and supports a leaf.
The side stems of cow parsley are triangular and have a groove, a bit like celery, hemlock doesn’t have this.
Smell
So this is difficult to get across on a blog post, but smell can help here as well. Cow parsley, I think, has a pleasant smell (a bit of a cross between parsley and aniseed), whilst hemlock really doesn’t!
Unless you are absolutely certain you know what it is, don’t eat any foraged plants.
We teach how to tell hemlock and cow parsley apart from each other on our foraging courses.
You can see loads of photos from these courses, as well as all of our others, on our Facebook page.
Pingback: How to identify hogweed and giant hogweed
Thanks for this info!!!! Very detailed and useful.
You’re welcome!
I just read an erroneous description of hemlock and cow parsley and began to doubt myself. You have reassured me. I was getting concerned! Thanks Gary.
Glad to be of help Paul.
What is the very large leafed tall hemlock type plant
Giant hogweed. Avoid!
It might be giant hogweed, but equally it could be common hogweed. No way to tell from the description.
Giant hogweed that stuff gives you blisters
As I said earlier, no way to tell from Patricia’s description.
This post is about hogweed and giant hogweed. https://www.jackravenbushcraft.co.uk/hogweed-and-giant-hogweed/
Pingback: Try this delicious cow parsley pesto
Great description’s;…. on the face of it they seemed very similar plants, however with your detailed descriptions there are lots of cross referencing features to help distinguish them apart.. Thanks
Sorry but I’m still confused. I’ve found what I think is cow parsley based on this post but the stem is hollow. It’s quite a young stem. Still not certain enough to risk it!
Hi Tamara, you’ve done the right thing, if you’re not sure, don’t eat it.
Thank you, this is so much clearer than my flower book ! Very helpful. It’s really nice to be able to identify plants on a countreyside walk.
Hi I’m not certain, but have you got the stems the wrong way round in the description. The one on the right certainly looks ridged, like cow parsley. Thank you.
Hi, they’re the right way around. Cow parsley is more triangular in shape, hemlock is round.
Interesting and helpful – many thanks!
Very clear on the differences — thank you for posting this!
Can you make wine from cow parsley.
I don’t know!
Gary, this is really helpful as ever.
If I may focus a little on an unrelated…
Socrates wasn’t executed. He was convicted of misguiding the youth by asking them questions and encouraging them to mock authority. He was invited to suggest his own sanction and suggested that he be kept in luxury in Athens and his students could come to him and continue to learn philosophy. This offer was rejected by the court so he effectively chose himself to drink the hemlock. He preferred to die than to reject his values.
Thank you, very informative and such an important piece of knowledge to help distinguish between the two.
You’re welcome Ryan.
Fabulous post- only just been pointed in its direction.
Pingback: “Let them eat weeds”: Foraging is not a solution to food poverty – Tangled Bank
Pingback: How to Identify Poison Hemlock – TUTORING YOU
Pingback: A Beginner's Guide to UK Foraging in Spring | True Luxury Travel
Pingback: Learning How to Wild Forage – Five escape the classroom
Pingback: Learning How to Wild Forage – An Adventurous Education
Pingback: Learning How to Wild Forage - An Adventurous Education
Pingback: ¿El perejil de vaca es venenoso? - Gardenun
This was unbelievably helpful. Info here that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else. Thank you!
Thank you so much for the detailed information. I’m looking for this since a long time. Now I’m finally able to tell the difference
I’m seeing loads and loads of country roadsides covered in what I now believe to be Hemlock after thinking last year it was cow parsley, your webpage has confirmed to me it is almost certainly hemlock, the main feature being it’s blotchy brown stems, and the fact it seems to grow much higher than cow parsley. Thanks so much for your info, very helpful. I dont recall seeing much of this plant a few years ago, but now it’s everywhere along country roads.
Thanks, Gary. The recipes look lovely.
This is really helpful, more people should be aware of this