Aethusa cynapium   Fool's Parsley CC D N

Aethusa cynapium Aethusa cynapium

This is a common garden weed and plant of the waste places. It is an annual so flowers in late summer with plants usually about two thirds the size of Anthriscus sylvestris (Cow Parsley) but it can grow to 1.5m in height. The diagnostic is that the flowers have bracteoles "strongly deflexed" which means that the little green bits under the flowers point downward as in the left photo.

Garden Cheshire 8th August 2005

Added on 14th January 2008, updated 21st June 2008, updated 21st February 2010, updated 29th April 2010, updated 2nd March 2012

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