iConium
Conium maculatum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Apiales Family: Apiaceae Subfamily: Apioideae Genus: Conium L.
Species
Conium chaerophylloides (Thunb.) Sond. Conium maculatum L. Download high resolution version (600x900, 76 KB)Poison Hemlock. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae land plants (embryophytes) non-vascular embryophytes Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses vascular plants (tracheophytes) seedless vascular plants Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongue ferns seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families Apiaceae (carrot family) Araliaceae (ginseng family) Pittosporaceae Griseliniaceae Torriceliaceae The Apiales are an order of flowering plants. ... Genera See text Ref: Hortiplex 2003-11-14 The Apiaceae, the carrot or parsley family, are a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, including parsley, carrot, and other relatives. ... Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ...

Conium is a genus of two species of perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region (C. maculatum), and to southern Africa (C. chaerophylloides). In biology, a genus (plural genera) is a taxonomic grouping. ... A Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... It has been suggested that Angiospermae, and Anthophyta be merged into this article or section. ... Genera See text Ref: Hortiplex 2003-11-14 The Apiaceae, the carrot or parsley family, are a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, including parsley, carrot, and other relatives. ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven continents of the Earth. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ...

By far the most familiar species is Conium maculatum (Hemlock or Poison Hemlock), the most common of several species of hemlock noted for their toxicity. It is a herbaceous biennial plant which grows between 1.5-2.5 m tall, with a smooth green stem, usually spotted or streaked with red or purple on the lower half of the stem. The leaves are finely divided and lacy, overall triangular in shape, up to 50 cm long and 40 cm broad. The flowers are small, white, clustered in umbels up to 10-15 cm across. The plant is often mistaken for fennel, parsley or wild carrot although the characteristic stem hairs of the wild carrots are missing. The Conium root is fleshy, white and often unbranched and can be mistaken for parsnip. When crushed, the leaves and root emit a rank, unpleasant odour often compared to that of a mouse or parsnips. Look up hemlock in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the plants used in cooking and medicine. ... A Biennial plant is a plant that takes between twelve and twenty-four months to complete its lifecycle. ... The leaves of a Beech tree A leaf with laminar structure and pinnate venation In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ... Clivia miniata A cluster of flowers (Clivia miniata) A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ... Umbels on Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) An umbel is an inflorescence which consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) which are equal in length and spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. ... Binomial name Foeniculum vulgare Mill. ... Species Percentages are relative to US RDI values for adults. ... Binomial name Daucus carota Species Daucus carota Wild carrot or Queen Annes lace, Daucus carota, is the ancestor of the domesticated carrot of Europe, widely introduced in North America. ... Binomial name Pastinaca sativa L. The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable related to the carrot. ... Binomial name Pastinaca sativa L. The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable related to the carrot. ...

19th century illustration of Conium maculatum

Conium contains the alkaloids Coniine, N-methylconiine, conhydrine, pseudoconhydrine, g-coniceïne and Atropine . The most important and toxic of these is Coniine. Coniine is a neurotoxin, which disrupts the workings of the central nervous system and is toxic to people and all classes of livestock. Image File history File links Koeh-191. ... Image File history File links Koeh-191. ... Diagram of Ephedrine An alkaloid is a nitrogenous organic molecule that has a pharmacological effect on humans and animals. ... Coniine or 2-propylpiperidine is a poisonous alkaloid found in poison hemlock. ... Atropine is a tropane alkaloid extracted from the deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) and other plants of the family Solanaceae. ... It has been suggested that Neurotoxicity be merged into this article or section. ... A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... Sheep are commonly bred as livestock. ...

Conium maculatum has been introduced and naturalised in many other areas, including much of Asia, North America and Australia. Poison hemlock is often found on poorly drained soils, particularly near streams, ditches, and other surface water. World map showing the location of Asia. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...

A useful trick to determine whether a plant is poison hemlock rather than fennel, which it resembles, is to crush some leaves and smell the result. Fennel smells like anise or liquorice, whereas the smell of poison hemlock is often described as mouse-like or musty. Considering the high toxicity of poison hemlock, if the plant cannot be identified it must be discarded. Binomial name Foeniculum vulgare Mill. ... Binomial name Pimpinella anisum L. Anise or Aniseed, less commonly anís (stressed on the first syllable) (Pimpinella anisum) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southwest Asia. ... Binomial name Glycyrrhiza glabra L. Liquorice or licorice (see spelling differences) (pronounced IPA: licorish) is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, from which a sweet flavour can be extracted. ...

Conium is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Silver-ground Carpet. A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Super Families Butterflies Hesperioidea Papilionoidea Moths Micropterigoidea Heterobathmioidea Eriocranioidea Acanthopteroctetoidea Lophocoronoidea Neopseustoidea Mnesarchaeoidea Hepialoidea Nepticuloidea Incurvarioidea Palaephatoidea Tischeriodea Simaethistoidea Tineoidea Gracillarioidea Yponomeutoidea Gelechioidea Zygaenoidea Sesioidea Cossoidea Tortricoidea Choreutoida Urodoidea Galacticoidea Schreckensteinioidea Epermenioidea Pterophoroidea Aluctoidea Immoidea Axioidea Hyblaeoidea Thyridoidea Whalleyanoidea Pyraloidea Mimallonoidea Lasiocampoidea Geometroidea Drepanoidea Bombycoidea Calliduloidae Hedyloidea Noctuoidea Families About... Binomial name Xanthorhoe montanata Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775 The Silver-ground Carpet (Xanthorhoe montanata) is a moth of the family Geometridae. ...

Poison hemlock flourishes in the spring, when most other forage is gone. All plant parts are poisonous but once the plant is dried, the poison is greatly reduced, however not gone completely. Hemlock is also known as "poison parsley" or "spotted parsley".

Poison hemlock is sometimes confused with the water hemlocks in the related genus Cicuta, but are readily distinguished by the less finely divided leaves of the latter; the leaf veins of poison hemlock also run through the tips of the teeth, but those of the water hemlock run through the notches in between the teeth. The poison hemlock's root is long, white, and fleshy. It is unbranched and can usually be distinguished from the water hemlock's roots that are made up of several tubers. Species Cicuta bulbifera Cicuta douglasii Cicuta maculata Cicuta virosa Cicuta (Water Hemlock or Cowbane) is a small genus of four species of highly poisonous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, mainly North America. ...

Socrates

Main article: Trial of Socrates

In ancient Greece, hemlock was used to poison condemned prisoners. The most famous victim of hemlock poisoning is the philosopher Socrates. After being condemned to death for impiety in 399 BC, Socrates was given a potent solution of the hemlock plant. Plato described Socrates' death in the Phaedo [1]: The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David (1787) The trial of Socrates in 399 BC gave rise to a great deal of debate and to a whole genre of literature, known as the Socratic logoi. ... Socrates (Greek: Σωκράτης, invariably anglicized as , Sǒcratēs; 470–399 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy. ... Impiety is a lack of proper concern for the obligations owed to cult in its proper sense. ... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC 400s BC - 390s BC - 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC 340s BC Years: 404 BC 403 BC 402 BC 401 BC 400 BC - 399 BC - 398 BC 397 BC... Dissolving table salt in water In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of one or more substances, known as solutes, dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. ... PLATO was one of the first generalized Computer assisted instruction systems, originally built by the University of Illinois (U of I) and later taken over by Control Data Corporation (CDC), who provided the machines it ran on. ... It has been suggested that Phaidon be merged into this article or section. ...

	"He walked about and, when he said his legs were heavy, lay down on his back, for such was the advice of the attendant. The man who had administered the poison laid his hands on him and after a while examined his feet and legs, then pinched his foot hard and asked if he felt it. He said "No"; then after that, his thighs; and passing upwards in this way he showed us that he was growing cold and rigid. And again he touched him and said that when it reached his heart, he would be gone. ... To this question he made no reply, but after a little while he moved; the attendant uncovered him; his eyes were fixed."
	— Plato, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo

This is not meant to be a factual account (Plato admits that he was not present at the time) but a sort of myth-telling, which is thematically reflective of the rest of the dialogue. Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Image File history File links Cquote2. ...

Sometimes the characteristic red spots found on the stem and branches are referred to as "the blood of Socrates" in reference to his death.

Medicinal uses

Poison hemlock has been used as a sedative and for its antispasmodic properties. It was also used by Greek and Arab physicians for a variety of problems, such as arthritis. However, it wasn't always effective as the difference between a therapeutic and a toxic amount is very slight. Overdoses can produce paralysis and loss of speech being followed by depression of the respiratory function and then death. In rare cases, such as with the famed execution of Socrates, Hemlock has been known to cause the drinker to lose all bowel control. The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are a heterogeneous ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation; plural: arthritides) is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body. ... Toxic redirects here, but this is also the name of a song by Britney Spears; see Toxic (song) Look up toxic and toxicity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. ... Respiration is a term used in both organismal biology and biochemistry, and may refer to: Respiration, the process by which an organism obtains energy by reacting oxygen with glucose to give water, carbon dioxide and energy. ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation). ...

References and external links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Conium maculatum

• Germplasm Resources Information Network: Conium
• Flora Europaea: Conium
• Journal of the International Plato Society, "Hemlock Poisoning and the Death of Socrates: Did Plato Tell the Truth?"