Flower:

Flat to rounded clusters (umbels) 1½ to 2½ inches across with an average of 10 groups (umbellets) each with 10 to 20 tiny white flowers. Individual flowers are about 1/8 inch across, have 5 petals, notched at the tip, 5 slender white stamens and a creamy white center.

At the base of the umbel are 3 to 6 narrow bracts ¼ to ¾ inch long. A plant has a few to several umbels

Leaves and stems:

Leaves are compound with 4 to 11 pairs of leaflets, up to 12 inches long at the base, arranged alternately on the stem, leaflets ½ to 1½ inches long. Early leaves have oval leaflets with rounded teeth, becoming more broadly lance-like and coarsely toothed on the lower stem, leaflets often with a single lobe near the base. Upper leaflets are smaller, sharply toothed or narrowly lobed. Submerged leaves are 3 or 4 times compound with linear segments. Stems are stout, root at basal nodes, sparsely to much branched and can be erect or spreading.

Notes:

In Minnesota, Cut-leaf Water Parsnip is associated with seeps and fens, often at the base of higher bluffs along waterways. These habitats are fragile and rapidly succumb to invasive wetland species like Reed Canarygrass, forget-me-nots and Watercress, making this uncommon species increasingly scarce. As a result, it was given a status of Special Concern in the DNR's major rare species lists revised in 2013. While the lower leaves of Cut-leaf Water Parsnip may somewhat resemble Wild Parsnip, the upper leaves and flower color make them easy to distinguish.