Anthriscus sylvestris

Anthriscus sylvestris, known as cow parsley, wild chervil, wild beaked parsley, Queen Anne's lace or keck, is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial plant in the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). It is also sometimes called mother-die (especially in the UK), a name that is also applied to the common hawthorn. It is native to Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa. It is related to other diverse members of Apiaceae, such as parsley, carrot, hemlock and hogweed. It is often confused with Daucus carota, another member of the Apiaceae also known as "Queen Anne's lace" or "wild carrot".

Description

A small plant. It grows 60-150 cm high. It spreads 40-60 cm wide. It forms clumps. The leaves are fine and feather like. They are divided 3 times. The leaves are 15-30 cm long. They are deep green. The flowers are white. Caution: Don't mistake this plant for the poisonous hemlock Conium maculatum.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves Root Edible Uses: The leaves are eaten raw, cooked as a potherb or used as a flavouring. They taste somewhat less than wonderful. Root - cooked.

Traditional Uses

CAUTION: It is reported to cause abortions. The young leaves are eaten as a pot herb. It is also dried and stored for later use. Small quantities are used for seasoning. The stalks are also peeled and used. They are also pickled. The shoots are used as a spice in cheese. The roots are eaten.

Medicinal Uses

Tonic The root is soaked for several days in rice washings and then cooked with other foods as a tonic for general weakness.

Known Hazards

All above-ground parts of the cow parsley plant are edible, with a flavour sharper than garden chervil and described as grassy parsley, with a hint of licorice or aniseed. However, it is suspected of being mildly toxic according to some sources. The plant is an invasive species in many places outside of its native range. It spreads easily along roads and the edges of woods and fields, so it is not cultivated but instead foraged in the wild. In the UK it is foraged from February to November. However extreme caution is advised when foraging cow parsley because it is easily confused with other species of the Apiaceae family, such as the deadly poison hemlock, hemlock water-dropwort and fool's parsley. Because the plant's flavour is considered unremarkable and the risk is great, foraging cow parsley in the wild is usually strongly discouraged.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. In China it grows from sea level to 4,500 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 4-9. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Albania, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Britain, Bulgaria, Caucasus, China, Estonia, Europe, Falklands, Finland, Georgia, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Nepal, North Africa, North America, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tasmania, Tibet, Turkey, Türkiye,

Cultivation

It is grown from fresh seeds.

Propagation

Seed - sow as soon as ripe (June/July) in situ. The seed can also be sown April/May in situ. It usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 20°c.

Other Uses

Dye A beautiful green dye is obtained from the leaves and stem but it is not very permanent. Special Uses

Other Information

It is foraged and supplied to restaurants in Sweden.

Notes

There are about 12 Anthriscus species. It has anticancer properties.

Dangerous Lookalikes

This plant can be confused with the following toxic species. Always verify identification carefully before consuming any wild plant.

DEADLY

Poison Hemlock

Conium maculatum

MPF

Safe

Cow Parsley

Anthriscus sylvestris

(c) elizabethompson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Poison Hemlock: Smooth round stems with purple/red blotches, foul musty smell, larger plant.

Cow Parsley: Hairy triangular stems, sometimes with pink hue, pleasant smell.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Dudki, Gimi, Hundekjeks, Jeonho, Jeonhonamul, Keck, Limi, Mendi, Peniputsk, Putski, Wild beaked parsley

References (32)

• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 44
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 123
• Bussman, R. W., et al, 2016, A comparative ethnobotany of Khevsureti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Tusheti, Svaneti, and Racha-Lechkhumi, Republic of Georgia (Sakartvelo), Caucasus. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2016) 12:43
• Bussman, R. W. et al, 2017, Ethnobotany of Samtskhe-Javakheti, Sakartvelo (Republic of Georgia), Caucasus. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 16(1) pp 7-24
• Bussman, R. W., et al, 2021, Unity in diversity—food plants and fungi of Sakartvelo (Republic of Georgia), Caucasus. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine (2021) 17:72 p 5

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