Cicuta maculata vs Sambucus nigra
These two are not on this page because a keyword tool suggested them. They are here because our own identification model genuinely mistook one for the other, on real photographs, 3 times. We publish the rate, and then we tell you what actually separates them.
Side by sidefigs. a and b
Cicuta maculata
Sambucus nigra
How often our model gets it wrong measured, not estimated
| When the plant was | The model said | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Cicuta maculata | Sambucus nigra | 3 of 20 (15%) |
The confusion runs one way only. The model mistakes Cicuta maculata for Sambucus nigra, but not the reverse.
Measured on 38,299 openly licensed, research-grade photographs. Full method and dataset.
What actually separates themon the record
| Family | Apiaceae versus Viburnaceae. Different families, which is a real separation. |
|---|---|
| Genus | Cicuta versus Sambucus. |
| Flowering | Peaks in July versus May. If the plant is in flower, timing helps. (n = 1,141 and 3,045.) |
What we do not have yet: the diagnostic morphological character that a botanist would key on, from a source we can cite. We are not going to invent one. Until we have it, this page tells you the two are genuinely confusable, how often, and what the taxonomy and the flowering data do and do not settle.