''Berula'' is a cosmopolitan genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus '' Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plan ...

, whose species are known as water parsnips,Calflora taxon report, University of California: ''Berula erecta''
/ref> as are some other plants in Apiaceae such as '' Sium latifolium'' and ''

Sium suave ''Sium suave'', the water parsnip or hemlock waterparsnip, is a perennial wildflower in the family Apiaceae. It is native to many areas of both Asia and North America. The common name water parsnip is due to its similarity to parsnip (''Pastinaca ...

''. It is easily confused with the highly toxic

water hemlock ''Cicuta'', commonly known as water hemlock, is a genus of four species of highly poisonous plants in the family Apiaceae. They are perennial herbaceous plants which grow up to tall, having distinctive small green or white flowers arranged in ...

(''Conium maculatum''). ''Berula'' species are perennial, aquatic to semi-aquatic, herbaceous plants. The leaves are usually oppositely arranged. The flowerheads are arranged in

umbel In botany, an umbel is an inflorescence that consists of a number of short flower stalks (called pedicels) that spread from a common point, somewhat like umbrella ribs. The word was coined in botanical usage in the 1590s, from Latin ''umbella'' "p ...

s of small white flowers. ''

Berula erecta ''Berula erecta'', known as lesser water-parsnip or cutleaf waterparsnip or narrow-leaved water-parsnip, is a member of the Apiaceae, carrot family. Growing to around tall, it is found in or by water. It is widespread across much of Europe, Asia ...

'' is a widespread aquatic plant with fern-like leaves, found across Eurasia, Africa, North America, and elsewhere.

Taxonomy

, The Plant List accepts five species: *'' Berula bracteata'' (Roxb.) Spalik & S.R.Downie *'' Berula burchellii'' (Hook.f.) Spalik & S.R.Downie *''

'' (Huds.) Coville *'' Berula imbricata'' (Schinz) Spalik & S.R.Downie *'' Berula repanda'' (Welw. ex Hiern) Spalik & S.R.Downie

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2899796 Freshwater plants Apioideae Apioideae genera