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 parsely?”. 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.
Before looking at the major 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 parlsey 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.
Flowers
- Cow parsley flowers are in an umbell, generally 5 – 6cm across and come out between April and June.
- Hemlock flowers are also in an umbell, are around 2 – 5cm across and come out in June and July.
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.
In this last photo you can see a cross section of the side stems, again cow parsley is on the left and hemlock on the right.
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.
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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.
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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.
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This was unbelievably helpful. Info here that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else. Thank you!