The book "How to Know the Wildflowers" (1922) by Mrs William Starr Dana states that this plant's root is said "to contain the most dangerous vegetable poison native to our country". It is commonly confused with wild carrot, sweet Cicely, and other white-flowered members of the Parsley family. The author notes that it can usually be identified by its purple-streaked stem, which several pictures on this page show us. Furthermore, she says, "The umbels of the water hemlock are also more loosely clustered than those of the carrot, and their stalks are much more unequal." It is commonly found in marshy ground and blooms in midsummer. She uses the common names "Water Hemlock" and "Spotted Cowbane" which both refer to its poisonous properties.

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This species is native to southeastern Canada down to Missouri and to Maryland, and the mountains of North Carolina, growing in wet meadows, swamps, and along bodies of water. It is one of those members of the Parsley-Carrot Family (Umbelliferae) that is poisonous to eat.

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Cicuta maculata is extremely poisonous. It only takes a very small amount to cause death in an adult.

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