Cow Parsley is a
native
biennial plant of the UK, typically found growing in woodland, meadows and waste ground, to a mature height of up to 150cm.
Cow Parsely is an erect, branching and sparsely-leaved plant. It has feathery pinnate leaves and bears umbellifers of clustered white flowers from early spring. Cow Parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) is in the same family as the culinary Curly Parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. crispum) or Flat-Leaved Parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum) but is not closely-related. Its leaves are said to smell of parsley (or aniseed) if crushed. However, do not try using it as a forage food! The deadly Poison Hemlock looks very similar and can easily be misidentified as Cow Parsley (see 'Concerns' below).
Botanic classification and naming: Cow Parsley is a member of the Carrot (Apiaceae) family. The genus name
'Anthriscus' identifies the plant as a Chervil and its species name 'sylvestris' means 'woodland plant'.
Concerns: The highly toxic plant Poison Hemlock can be mistaken for Cow Parsley and unfortunately they can be found growing together. Some key differences: Cow Parsley has a ridged and hairy main stem, triangular side branches and a pleasant smell of parsley or aniseed; whereas Hemlock has a slightly-ribbed and smooth main stem, with purple blotches (but these may be absent in young plants), rounded and hollow side branches, often more finely divided leaves, and the plant is also said to have an unpleasant smell.
Benefits: The pollen of Cow Parsely provides a food source for early-emerging insects.
Benefits to wildlife are also indicated with orange icons in the plant profile bar at the top.
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