Sweet Cicely

Myrrhis odorata

Plant Data

Order:

Apiales

Family:

Apiaceae (Carrot)

Type:

Flower

Flowering Months:

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Flower:

White, 5 petals

White umbels reaching 6cm wide and no bracts. Individual flowers have 5 petals. Pollinated by insects.

Fruit:

Long, green, shiny, cylindrical and ribbed. The fruits are erect and about 2cm long.

Leaves:

Similar looking to Cow Parsley but are softer to the touch. They are 2-4 pinnate with small flecks on close inspection.

Maximum Size:

1 metre tall

Foraging Notes:

The root can be eaten raw and used in salads. The leaves and stems can be eaten too. The seeds can be used as seasoning. It tastes of aniseed, just like it smells.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are 100% certain that it is safe to eat and you know that you have identified it correctly.

Aroma:

Smells strongly of aniseed when crushed.

Other Names:

Anise Chervil, Anise Cicely, Anise Fern, British Myrrh, Cow Chervil, Fern-leaved Chervil, Garden Myrrh, Roman Plant, Shepherd's Needle, Smooth Cicely, Spanish Chervil, Sweet Bracken, Sweet Chervil, Sweet Myrrh, Sweets, Sweet-scented Myrrh.

Frequency (UK):

Common

Habitats:

Farmland, grassland, hedgerows, parkland, riverbanks, riversides, roadsides, woodland.

Similar Species:

Cow Parsley