Aethusa cynapium is a smaller, more delicate plant than many similar species in the apiaceae family, recognisable from its pendent, pointed bracteoles, ridged calyces (and fruits), and hairless, finely-divided leaves.
Common name:
Fool's parsley
Family:
Scientific name:
Aethusa cynapium
Main flower color:
Range:
Lowland regions of England and Wales, and parts of Scotland and Ireland
Height:
Up to 50 cm
Habitat:
Gardens, fields, cultivated land
Flowers:
Small, white, with five notched petals often different in size; in flat-topped clusters, lacking bracts but with conspicuous, downwards-pointing bracteoles, around 1 cm long, pointed and often reddish at the tip
Fruit:
Oval capsules, strongly ridged, lacking spines, initially with residual red stigmas at the tip
Leaves:
Hairless, two or three times pinnately divided into narrow, flat segments, pointed at the tip. Stems are smooth and hairless
Season:
June to August
Rarity:
★★★★★
