Conium
(from konao, to whirl around; in reference to the giddiness caused by eating the leaves). Hemlock. ORD. Umbelliferae. Biennial poisonous herbs. Involucre of three to five leaves; involucels dimidiate. Leaves decompound. Stem terete, branched, Root fusiform. Not more than two or three species are known, of which one (C. chaerophylloides) is South African and Abyssinian. The Common Hemlock (C. maculatum) is widely spread over Europe, North Asia, and Siberia. It has long been used in medicine.