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featherleaf springparsley
Scientific Name: Cymopterus beckii
Family: Apiaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Perennial
Other Names:
Parsley
Parsley is a versatile herb widely used in cooking. There are two main types: flat-leaf (Italian) parsley and curly parsley. Flat-leaf parsley generally has a more robust flavor than the curly variety.
Scientific Names and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Petroselinum crispum (Garden Parsley) and Cymopterus watsonii (Spring Parsley)
- Family: Apiaceae (also known as Umbelliferae, the Carrot or Parsley Family)
- Synonyms: Petroselinum neapolitanum (Italian Flat Leaf Parsley)
Considerations for Pets
- Parsley is often listed as a safe "plant" to grow for cats.
- Some plants share common names (e.g., Spring Parsley) but are botanically different and may have varying properties.
- Parsley Fern is listed in conjunction with plant toxicities, use caution.
Considerations for Children
- Parsley is often found in home gardens.
- Parsley shares a common name with Poison Parsley, use caution.
Distribution and Habitat
Parsley is native to the central Mediterranean region. It grows from spring to late fall and can withstand some frost. It grows best with bright light in rich, well-drained soil.
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits
- Parsley is a biennial plant with bright green, feather-like leaves.
- Flat-leaf parsley has celery-like leaves and can grow to around twenty-four inches tall.
- Some varieties, like Turnip-rooted Parsley (Petroselinum crispum var. tuberosum), form a tuberous root.
- Meadow parsley rosettes produce a flowering stem in spring which remains leafless until summer. Stem leaves are feather-like.
Ecological Role
Parsley serves as a host plant for the parsleyworm caterpillar, which is the larva of some swallowtail butterflies.
Quirky Facts
- The word "parsley" comes from the Latin petros selinon, meaning "rock celery."
- Parsley is used in the Hebrew celebration of Passover as a symbol of spring and rebirth.
- An author of "Historie of Plants" (1597), grew both the smooth and curled leaf varieties and described the curled variety as "fannes of curled feathers."