Cow parsley

Anthriscus sylvestris

I have thought good to call Hedge or Field Parsley (because it growes upon hedges and in plowed fields very plentifully everywhere)
Gerard Sixteenth Century on 'Bastard Parsleys'

Clusters of white lacey flowers along roadsides, canal-sides and parks are a feature of late spring. Although you can occasionally find sickly looking hogweed trying to flower, even in January, I have never seen it at full height until much later in the year. This means that cow parsley is the first member of the Apiaceae to really get going and for that reason it will be discussed first.

Banks of cow parsley are a feature of late spring


Not everybody likes cow-parsley and an article in the Independent called cow parsley 'the countryside killer' on account of its overabundance in our country lanes. In over-fertile soils, along with nettles and bramble, cow parsley can out-compete other flowers and in doing so reduce overall plant diversity. There is good evidence that cow parsley is becoming more prevalent. For example, one survey showed that between 1978 and 2007 roadside plots that harboured the flower showed a 58% increase, a remarkable change in such a short time-frame. You can see in Leazes Park that the flower is prolific in those areas that are not too shaded and escape regular mowing. When you watch cow parsley over a period of time that is not alltogether surprising, each plant has a myriad of flowers which in turn produce fruits and ultimately that can result in the production of over 1000 seeds by a single plant. In spite of all this, I enjoy the flowers and their fern-like leaves and I don't think there is any need to start culling them just yet.
Cow parsley is a somewhat derogatory name signifying not as good a real parsley and perhaps that is why it was originally classified among the 'bastard parsleys'- a name I would like to bring back into common parlance. It has also gone by other names including hedge parsley, kecks, wild beaked parsley, wild chervil and Queen Anne's lace - the latter name although more poetic sounds a bit 'Hyacinth Bucket' to me. Not only that but the name Queen Anne's lace has been applied to other members of the Apiaceae including Wild Carrot, (Daucus carota) and Snowflake (Ammi majus) so it is best avoided.

Habit

Cow parsley has an upright habit and reaches heights of 150 cms with a branching and hairy stem. At first sight, the stem does not seem strong enough to support this growth let alone survive even the slightest breeze. However, the stem is hollow which keeps the weight down without any loss of rigidity and the ridges down the stem which are, in essence, a series of triangles around the edge, probably increase further the strength of the stem without adding greatly to the weight. The leaf stalks (petioles) bear a large area of leaflets and there is a form of strengthening where they attach to the main flower stem in a V-shaped gutter. Engineers love triangles for their strength and it is also likely that this arrangement helps to spread the load around the circumference of the stem (see picture two below).

2. Ingenious reinforcement at a leaf axil spreading the load around
the whole circumference of the stem


Leaves

The leaves are arranged alternately up the stem and are 2-3pinnate (see post Apiaceae). The leaflets are ovate and coarsely toothed.


3. Two-pinnate leaves


Inflorescence

The inflorescence is an umbel of umbels that is distinguished from other members of the Apiaceae by the absence of bracts at the primary rays and the presence of bracteoles subtending secondary rays.It is rewarding to watch the umbels developing, they start as a knot of flowers pointing downwards towards the ground, then by some strange pneumatic process, that must happen quickly because I never seem to see umbels at the halfway mark, the rays rotate to form the flat plates of upward facing flowers that we are familiar with.

4. Mature umbel at the centre and two developing umbels at the side

Stem giving rise to primary rays. Note the absence of bracts.

Secondary rays subtended by bracteoles

The flowers

The individual flowers are comprised of five free petals with those facing away from the centre of an umbel being larger than those that face the centre. Two styles can be seen protruding from the ovary that is located below the plane of the petals and in between the petals, five stamens can be seen. The length of the filaments of the stamens varies to match the length of the adjacent petals

Umbels from above note asymmetric petals and stamens visible between petals

Where to find cow parsley in Leazes Park

Pretty much everywhere, there is no need to target any specific area of the park just take a walk with your eye open and make sure you take time to stop and stare. Keep looking even after the flowers have faded to watch the fruits developing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hemlock

Image
Conium maculatum The man.... laid his hands on him and after a while examined his feet and legs. Then pinched his foot hard and asked if he felt it. He said "no";  then after that, his thighs; and passing upwards in this way he showed us he was going cold and rigid. And then again he touched him and said that when it reached his heart he would be gone. Plato on the death of Socrates Hemlock is poisonous, so poisonous, that it was used for executions in ancient Greece. The most famous victim of hemlock was Socrates who was condemned to death for corrupting the young minds of Athens in 399BC.  You should treat hemlock with respect and know how to distinguish it from other members of the Apiaceae because even casual contact with the plant can be dangerous. For example, using the hollow stems to make a blow-pipe has resulted in burnt lips and nausea. 1. Bank of hemlock by the lake Taxonomy Hemlock belongs to the Apiaceae or carrot family which has been discussed in gener...
Read more

Introduction

If ever you catch quite a beginner and want to give him a taste for botany tell him to make a perfect list of some little field or wood. Both Miss Thorley and I agree that it gives a really uncommon interest to the work, having a nice little definite world to work on, instead of the awful abyss and immensity of all British Plants. Charles Darwin in a letter to Joseph Hooker -director of Kew Gardens There are two ways of becoming wise. One is to travel out into the world and see as much as possible of God's creation. The other is is to put down roots in one spot and to study everything that happens there in as much detail as possible. The trouble is that it's impossible to do both at the same time. Jostein Gardner - The Christmas Mystery You will have probably gathered from the two quotes above that the general theme of this blog is studying one area in detail rather than travelling far and wide. In this case, studying the wild flowers that grow in Leazes Park and where po...
Read more

The Carrot Family - Apiaceae

Image
Repetition is the essence of the plant Theophrastus 372-287BC This post will review a family, several members of which will be putting in an appearance in the park over the next few weeks. The Apiaceae is one of the most distinctive of all plant families and its members were the first to be lumped together into a distinct grouping as long ago as the end of the 16th century. This was on account of the shape of the inflorescence called an umbel which in turn gave rise to the old family name the Umbelliferae. That family name has gone, at least in part, because some flowers from other families also have umbels. The members of the Apiaceae that we will discuss over the coming weeks are cow parsley  Anthriscus sylvestris , hogweed  Heracleum sphondylium  and finally my favourite wild carrot  Daucus carota . Habit Members of this family often have stout stems that are ridged and hollow, a recipe that gives them the strength and rigidity that can allow members ...
Read more