Shepherd's Needle

Scandix pecten-veneris

Please keep in mind that it is illegal to uproot a plant without the landowner's consent and care should be taken at all times not to damage wild plants. Wild plants should never be picked for pleasure and some plants are protected by law.
For more information please download the BSBI Code of Conduct PDF document.

Plant Data

Flowering Months:

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

Order:

Apiales

Family:

Apiaceae (Carrot)

Also in this family:

Alexanders, Bladder-seed, Bur Chervil, Burnet-saxifrage, Cambridge Milk Parsley, Caraway, Common Hogweed, Coriander, Corky-fruited Water Dropwort, Corn Parsley, Cow Parsley, Cowbane, Creeping Marshwort, Cumin, Edible Carrot, False Thorow-wax, Field Eryngo, Fine-leaved Water Dropwort, Fool's Parsley, Fool's Watercress, Garden Angelica, Garden Parsley, Giant Fennel, Giant Hogweed, Great Pignut, Greater Burnet-saxifrage, Greater Water Parsnip, Ground Elder, Hartwort, Hemlock, Hemlock Water Dropwort, Hog's Fennel, Honewort, Knotted Hedge Parsley, Lesser Marshwort, Lesser Water Parsnip, Longleaf, Masterwort, Milk Parsley, Moon Carrot, Parsley Water Dropwort, Pepper-saxifrage, Pignut, Pink Masterwort, River Water Dropwort, Rock Samphire, Rough Chervil, Sanicle, Scots Lovage, Sea Carrot, Sea Holly, Shrubby Hare's-ear, Siberian Hogweed, Slender Hare's-ear, Small Hare's-ear, Spignel, Spreading Hedge Parsley, Stone Parsley, Sulphurwort, Sweet Cicely, Thorow-wax, Tubular Water Dropwort, Upright Hedge Parsley, Whorled Caraway, Wild Angelica, Wild Carrot, Wild Celery, Wild Fennel, Wild Parsnip

Type:

Flower

Life Cycle:

Annual

Maximum Size:

50 centimetres tall

Habitats:

Farmland, gardens, sea cliffs, seaside, wasteland.

Flower:

White, 5 petals

The umbel's of Shepherd's Needle 7 to 9cm across. Only a few umbels are present on each plant (1 to 3). The upper bracts are deeply toothed and there are no lower bracts at all. Pollinated by insects.

Fruit:

Easy to identify when seen in fruit as this plant has long, needle-like fruit. The fruits measures between 3 and 7cm in length.

Leaves:

An almost hairless annual flower with fresh green, 2 to 3-pinnate leaves. The leaflets are finely divided. Grows on neutral and alkali soils in sunny places.

Other Names:

Stork's Needle, Venus' Comb.

Frequency (UK):

Unusual

Distribution Map

Reproduced by kind permission of the BSBI.

Click to open an Interactive Map