Conium maculatum known by the common name hemlock, even though the two plants are quite different. Similarly, the plant should not be confused with "Cicuta" (commonly known as water hemlock). The dried stems are sometimes called kecksies or kex. "Conium" comes from the Ancient Greek "κώνειον - kṓneion" : "hemlock". This may be related to "konas" (meaning to whirl), in reference to vertigo, one of the symptoms of ingesting the plant. "Conium maculatum" is an herbaceous biennial flowering plant that grows to tall, with a smooth, green, hollow stem, usually spotted or streaked with red or purple on the lower half of
Mandragora (genus) Mandragora (genus) Mandragora is a plant genus belonging to the nightshade family (Solanaceae). Members of the genus are known as mandrakes. There are between three and five species in the genus. The one or two species found around the Mediterranean constitute the mandrake of ancient writers such as Dioscorides. Two or three further species are found eastwards into China. All are perennial herbaceous plants, with large tap-roots and leaves in the form of a rosette. Individual flowers are bell-shaped, whitish through to violet, and are followed by yellow or orange berries. Like many members of the Solanaceae, species of "Mandragora"