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Anthriscus sylvestris

Cow parsley

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Meneerke bloem

Short Description

Cow parsley can grow to a height of 1.5 m.

The leaves are divided into many feathery leaflets (pinnate, feather-like appearance) and have a shiny top. There are often umbels of small white flowers at branching points.

The stem is markedly grooved, hollow, covered in stiff hairs.

The individual small white flowers are clustered in double umbels (flower heads). This means that each branch of the umbel (like ribs of an umbrella) is again tipped with a smaller umbellule. The flowers often have petals of different sizes.

The schizocarp fruit is narrow with a smooth dark-brown surface. It consists of two mericarps.

Features

Cow parsley

Anthriscus sylvestris

  • small smooth fruits

  • hollow stem without spots

Similar species

Wild carrot

Daucus carota
The seed head is curled inwards like a nest. The mericarps are roundish with a bristly-spiky surface

Ground elder

Aegopodium podagraria
The leaves are divided into three leaflets (ternate) with undivided sections. The umbels are medium-sized.

Bur parsley

Anthriscus caucalis
It smells strongly of spruce needles when crushed. The fruits are densely covered with small hooks.
Blütenstand (CC BY-SA 3.0) Dalgial

In the city

In an urban environment, cow parsley is often found on nutrient-rich meadows and in forest verges. It prefers fresh and nutrient-rich sites.

Fun Facts

  • In natural medicine, a tea made from its leaves is used in the treatment of skin rashes and digestive problems.

  • It flowers from April to June.

  • Endangerment level Germany: not endangered

  • Young shoots can be eaten in a salad.

Laubblatt (CC-BY-SA 4.0) Stefan.lefnaer

Sources

Habitus, Meneerke bloem, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anthriscus_sylvestris001.jpg

Blütenstand, Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anthriscus_sylvestris_3.JPG

Laubblatt, Stefan.lefnaer, CC-BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anthriscus_sylvestris_sl7.jpg

Eggenberg, S. & Möhl, A. (2007) Flora Vegetativa: Ein Bestimmungsbuch für Pflanzen der Schweiz im blütenlosen Zustand, Bern, Stuttgart, Wien: Haupt Verlag.

Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Jäger, E. J. (2011) Rothmaler - Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Gefäßpflanzen: Grundband, Heidelberg: Spektrum Akademischer Verlag.

Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.

Lippert, W. & Podlech, D. (1993) GU Naturführer. Blumen: die wichtigen Blütenpflanzen Mitteleuropas erkennen und bestimmen, München: Gräfe und Unzer Verlag.

Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.

Page „Wiesen-Kerbel“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 07.01.2017, 10:34 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wiesen-Kerbel&oldid=161383616 (Accessed: 13.03.2017).