Sium suave

On moist ground, Water Parsnip initially forms a rosette of basal leaves up to 1½' across. In shallow water, this wildflower initially forms a cluster of aquatic or semi-aquatic leaves of variable length. The terrestrial basal leaves are very similar to the alternate leaves (described below), except the leaflets of the former are wider. Fully aquatic leaves are double-pinnate or double-pinnatifid with filiform leaflets or lobes that are pale green and glabrous. Semi-aquatic leaves are primarily odd-pinnate with linear to linear-lanceolate leaflets; these leaflets usually have narrow pointed lobes along their sides. In addition, semi-aquatic leaves may have whorls of secondary leaflets at the bases of the primary leaflets. These secondary leaflets are similar to the primary leaflets, except the former are smaller in size. Regardless of which kind of leaves has been developed, this is followed by a flowering plant 2½-6' tall (above the ground or water surface) that branches sparingly. The stems of the flowering plant are light green, glabrous, and longitudinally veined; they are terete or angular-terete in cross-section. Alternate leaves along the stems are up to 1½' long and about one-half as much across; they are odd-pinnate with 7-17 leaflets. The leaflets of these compound leaves are 1½-4½" long and ¼-1¼" across; they are linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate in shape and their margins are finely serrated. The upper surface of these leaflets is medium green and glabrous, while the lower surface is pale green and glabrous. The lateral leaflets are sessile, while the terminal leaflet of each compound leaf has a short petiolule (basal stalklet) up to 1" long. Each compound leaf has a sheath that extends along the entire length of its petiole (¼-4" long); the lower leaves have longer petioles than upper leaves. Both the petiole and rachis of each compound leaf is medium green, glabrous, and angular; they are often finely grooved along their upper surfaces.

The native Water Parsnip is occasional throughout Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats consist of soggy thickets, wet prairies, marshes, bottoms of seeps, low areas along springs, swamps, borders and shallow water of ponds, and ditches. This wildflower is found in both sandy and non-sandy wetland habitats.

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Sium cicutifolium Schrenk:
Canada (North America)
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Sium floridanum Small:
United States (North America)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Sium suave Walter:
Canada (North America)
Japan (Asia)
Russian Federation (Asia)
South Korea (Asia)
United States (North America)
China (Asia)

Note: This information is based on publications available through Tropicos and may not represent the entire distribution. Tropicos does not categorize distributions as native or non-native.

Plants 60–120 cm, stout. Root fibrous or fascicled, fusiform. Leaf blade oblong or ovate, 6–25 × 7–10 cm; pinnae 3–9 pairs; leaflets lanceolate or linear, 10–40 × 3–15 mm, margin serrate. Upper leaves smaller, 3-lobed or entire, sessile on expanded sheaths. Umbels 4–8 cm across, terminal on stem and branches; bracts 6–10, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 3–15 mm, entire or incised; rays (8–)10–20, 1.5–3 cm, unequal; bracteoles 5–10, linear-lanceolate, 1–3 mm, entire; umbellules 10–20-flowered; pedicels 3–5 mm. Calyx teeth triangular-lanceolate or minute triangular, 0.5–2 mm. Fruit ovoid, ca. 3 × 2 mm, ribs prominent, corky, thickened, narrowly winged; vittae 1–3 in each furrow, 2–6 on commissure. Fl. Jul–Aug, fr. Sep–Oct.

The native Water Parsnip is occasional throughout Illinois (see Distribution Map). Habitats consist of soggy thickets, wet prairies, marshes, bottoms of seeps, low areas along springs, swamps, borders and shallow water of ponds, and ditches. This wildflower is found in both sandy and non-sandy wetland habitats.

Damp grasslands, marshlands, streamsides. Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shandong, Taiwan [Japan, Korea, Russia; North America].

The flowers can attract a wide variety of insects, including Halictid bees, plasterer bees (Colletes spp.), masked bees (Hylaeus spp.), Sphecid wasps, spider wasps, cuckoo wasps (Chrysididae), Chalcid wasps, Eucoilid wasps, Ichneumon wasps, Braconid wasps, Vespid wasps, flower flies (Syrphidae), bee flies (Bombyliidae), Tachinid flies, flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), Muscid flies, Callophorid flies, frit flies (Chloropidae), leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), ladybird beetles, and tumbling flowering beetles (Mordellidae). These insects obtain primarily nectar from the flowers (Robertson, 1929). Both adults and larvae of a leaf beetle, Prasocuris phellandrii, feed on the foliage of Water Parsnip. Unlike some wetland species in the Carrot family with white flowers, the foliage of Water Parsnip is not regarded as toxic to mammalian herbivores.

Sium suave (Water Parsnip)
(Bees suck nectar or collect pollen, other insects suck nectar; most observations are from Robertson, otherwise they are from Graenicher as indicated below)

Bees (long-tongued)
Apidae (Apinae): Apis mellifera sn; Apidae (Bombini): Bombus impatiens cp, Bombus pensylvanica cp; Anthophoridae (Eucerini): Melissodes agilis sn

Bees (short-tongued)
Halictidae (Halictinae): Halictus confusus sn, Halictus ligatus sn, Halictus rubicunda sn, Lasioglossum cinctipes sn, Lasioglossum coriaceus sn, Lasioglossum illinoensis sn, Lasioglossum imitatus sn, Lasioglossum truncatus sn, Lasioglossum versatus sn cp, Lasioglossum zephyrus sn; Halictidae (Sphecodini): Sphecodes dichroa sn, Sphecodes stygius sn fq; Colletidae (Colletinae): Colletes americana sn, Colletes eulophi sn; Colletidae (Hylaeinae): Hylaeus affinis sn, Hylaeus mesillae sn, Hylaeus modestus modestus sn

Wasps
Sphecidae (Bembicinae): Hoplisoides placidus, Pseudoplisus phaleratus, Stizus brevipennis, Synnevrus plagiatus, Zanysson plesia; Sphecidae (Crabroninae): Ectemnius atriceps fq, Ectemnius continuus, Ectemnius lapidarius fq, Ectemnius trifasciatus, Lestica confluentus, Lindenius columbianus fq, Oxybelus emarginatus fq, Oxybelis frontalis fq, Oxybelus niger, Oxybelus packardii, Oxybelus uniglumis fq; Sphecidae (Larrinae): Ancistromma distincta, Liris argentata fq, Lyroda subita, Tachysphex terminata, Tachytes distinctus, Trypoxylon clavatus; Sphecidae (Philanthinae): Cerceris bicornuta, Cerceris clypeata, Cerceris echo, Cerceris finitima, Cerceris kennicottii, Cerceris prominens, Philanthus gibbosus; Sphecidae (Sphecinae): Ammophila kennedyi, Chalybion californicus, Chlorion aerarius, Eremnophila aureonotata, Isodontia apicalis, Prionyx thomae, Sceliphron caementaria; Scoliidae: Scolia bicincta; Tiphiidae: Methoca stygia, Myzinum quinquecincta; Sapygidae: Sapyga interrupta; Pompilidae: Ageniella acceptus, Ageniella longulus, Anoplius atrox, Anoplius lepidus, Anoplius marginatus, Anoplius nigritus, Anoplius tenebrosus, Ceropales maculata, Episyron biguttatus, Evagetes parvus; Bethylidae: Goniozus cellularis; Mutillidae: Dasymutilla macra, Myrmosula parvula; Chrysididae: Caenochrysis doriae, Chrysis nitidula, Holopyga ventrale; Eucoilidae: Eucoila erythropus, Eucoila impatiens, Eucoilidea canadensis, Kleidotoma americana, Pseudeucoila mellipes fq; Figitidae: Figites impatiens, Neralsia armatus; Chalcididae: Brachymeria ovata, Conura debilis, Haltichella onatas, Haltichella xanticles; Elasmidae: Elasmus nigripes; Eurytomidae: Bruchophagus gibba, Eurytoma sp.; Leucospididae: Leucospis affinis; Perilampidae: Syntomopus americanus; Pteromalidae: Callitula cyrnus; Ichneumonidae: Cryptus mundus, Cryptus persimilis, Diadegma pattoni, Ichneumon ambulatorius, Trathala delicatus; Braconidae: Chelonus sericeus, Microplites ceratomiae, Rhygoplitis terminalis, Vipio rugator; Vespidae: Polistes fuscata, Vespula germanica; Vespidae (Eumeninae): Ancistrocerus adiabatus, Ancistrocerus campestris, Eumenes fraterna, Euodynerus foraminatus, Leionotus scrophulariae (Rb, MS), Leionotus ziziae (Rb, MS), Monobia quadridens

Flies
Sciaridae: Sciara atrata; Tabanidae: Chrysops striatus; Stratiomyidae: Stratiomys meigenii; Empididae: Empis clausa; Syrphidae: Allograpta obliqua, Eristalinus aeneus, Eristalis tenax, Orthonevra nitida, Paragus tibialis, Platycheirus quadratus (Rb, Gr), Syritta pipiens, Syrphus ribesii, Toxomerus geminatus, Toxomerus marginatus, Toxomerus politus (Rb, Gr), Trichopsomyia banksi, Tropidia albistylum, Tropidia quadrata; Bombyliidae: Exoprosopa fasciata, Exoprosopa fascipennis, Sparnopolius confusus, Toxophora amphitea, Villa alternata (Rb, Gr); Tachinidae: Belvosia unifasciata, Chaetogaedia analis, Chetogena claripennis, Distichona varia, Doriella distincta, Euclytia flava, Gnadochaeta globosa, Gnadochaeta metallica, Gymnosoma fuliginosum, Lespesia aletiae, Leucostoma simplex, Linnaemya comta, Lixophaga variabilis, Panzeria aldrichi fq, Phasia purpurascens fq, Spallanzania hesperidarum, Trichopoda pennipes; Sarcophagidae: Amobia aurifrons, Amobia floridensis, Helicobia rapax, Ravinia derelicta, Ravinia stimulans fq, Sarcophaga africa, Senotainia rubriventris, Sphixapata trilineata fq; Calliphoridae: Calliphora splendida, Cochliomyia macellaria, Lucilia sericata, Phormia regina; Muscidae: Coenosia ovata, Graphomya americana, Limnophora narona, Morellia micans, Musca domestica, Neomyia cornicina, Stomoxys calcitrans; Anthomyiidae: Anthomyia leucostoma, Calythea nigricans; Fanniidae: Fannia incisurata, Fannia manicata; Otitidae: Euxesta notata; Tephritidae: Tomoplagia obliqua; Sepsidae: Themira putris; Ephydridae: Ochthera lauta prd; Chloropidae: Chlorops proximus, Liohippelates flavipes, Liohippelates pusio, Meromyza americana, Olcella cinerea; Milichiidae: Leptometopa latipes

Butterflies
Nymphalidae: Danaus plexippus, Libytheana carinenta; Lycaenidae: Celastrina argiolus, Parrhasius m-album; Pieridae: Pieris rapae

Beetles
Cantharidae: Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus, Silis bidentatus; Chrysomelidae: Acalymma vittata, Acanthoscelides obsoletus, Althaeus hibisci, Diabrotica longicornis, Diabrotica undecimpunctata, Megacerus discoidus; Coccinellidae: Coleomegilla maculata, Cycloneda sanguinea; Curculionidae: Centrinaspis picumna; Dermestidae: Attagenus megatoma; Lampyridae: Photinus pyralis; Meloidae: Epicauta pensylvanica; Melyridae: Collops quadrimaculatus; Mordellidae: Hoshihananomia octopunctata, Mordella marginata, Mordella melaena; Scarabaeidae: Euphoria sepulcralis

Plant Bugs
Anthocoridae: Orius insidiosus; Lygaeidae: Lygaeus turcicus; Miridae: Lopidea medius fq; Thyreocoridae: Corimelaena pulicarius

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 8
Specimens with Barcodes: 10
Species With Barcodes: 1

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

The preference is full or partial sun, shallow water (up to 1½' deep) or wet ground, and soil that is mucky or sandy. Depending on its level of exposure to standing water, Water Parsnip may produce terrestrial, semi-aquatic, or fully aquatic leaves during the early stages of its development.