Fool's-water-cress - Helosciadium nodiflorum

Alternative names
Fool's Water-cress
Apium nodiflorum
Description

Low to medium, prostrate to ascending plant, the stems finely grooved, rooting at the lower nodes. Leaves 1 pinnate, with 5 to 13 oval or lanceolate, toothed segments. Flowers white and minute, the umbels leaf opposed, short stalked or unstalked, with 3 to 12 rays. No bracts, but with bracteoles.

Similar Species

Very similar to Lesser Water-parsnip when it isn't in flower, and often confused with it.  Sometimes mistaken for watercress.

Identification difficulty
ID checklist (your specimen should have all of these features)

No bracts, but bracteoles; flowers in leaf axils, not terminal.  Unlike Berula erecta, lacks a white ring-mark/ridge around the lower leaf petioles.

Recording advice

Photo of plant in its habitat with details of umbel.  Check lower leaf petioles

Habitat

Wet habitats, wet ditches, etc.

When to see it

July and August.

Life History

Perennial.

UK Status

Common in most of Britain, but scarcer in northern England and Scotland.

VC55 Status

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 461 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Native, locally abundant 

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Fool's-water-cress
Species group:
Wildflowers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Apiales
Family:
Apiaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
109
First record:
02/07/2006 (Calow, Graham)
Last record:
30/08/2024 (Nicholls, David)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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