Cow
Parsley, Anthriscus sylvestris
Neath billowing skies that scatter and amass.
All round our nest, far as the eye can pass,
Are golden kingcup-fields with silver edge
where the cow-parsley skirts the hawthorn-hedge.
'Tis visible silence, still as the hour-glass.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, (1828-1882).
All round our nest, far as the eye can pass,
Are golden kingcup-fields with silver edge
where the cow-parsley skirts the hawthorn-hedge.
'Tis visible silence, still as the hour-glass.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, (1828-1882).
Anthriscus
sylvestris, commonly known as Cow Parsley, Wild
Chervil, Hedge Parsley, Queen Anne’s Lace, and Devil’s Parsley, is a common
wildflower of the English countryside and is largely naturalized throughout the
United States and Canada, primarily in the Northeast. It is considered a
noxious weed in 46 states in the United States.
Cow Parsley is a member of the carrot
family, Apiaceeae, and shares many
physical characteristics with its relatives Wild Carrot, Daucus carota, (commonly known as Queen Anne’s Lace in the US), Poison
Hemlock, Conium maculatum, and Fool’s
Parsley, Aethusa cynapium. All of these have white umbel flowers and
fern like leaves. Queen Anne’s Lace (D. carota), is easily distinguished from
the group with its purplish black “eye” in the center of the white flower as
well as delicate green bracts at the base of the flower. Its leaves are of a
finer texture than the more coarse Cow Parsley. In autumn, Queen Anne’s Lace is
easily spotted in a field by its inverted seed heads which resemble birds’
nests. Cow Parsley and its poisonous cousins maintain the umbel shape as it
displays its seeds.
Though once included in the diets of the
Celts, all sources advise against collecting and using this plant for food,
medicine or dye. Other plants are better suited for those purposes and are not
easy to confuse with poisonous plants.
Enjoy the Cow Parsley you find growing
in abandoned fields and along highways and country roads, but let it be.
Collect (with permission) the Queen Anne’s Lace or Wild Carrot flowers for
fresh bouquets in spring, and the seed heads for dried bouquets in autumn.
Thank you so much Susan for providing this blog post when you have been so busy with your son's wedding.
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