About Anthriscus sylvestris subsp. sylvestris
Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris subsp. sylvestris) is an upright, herbaceous non-woody perennial that reaches 60–170 centimetres (24–67 inches) in height. Its stems are hollow, striate (marked with parallel longitudinal stripes), furrowed, and green with patches of purple, growing up to 1.5 cm (0.59 in) in diameter. Tiny, hard-to-see hairs that are easily detectable by touch cover the stems, leaf rachis, and leaf stalks. Leaf petioles clasp the stem at their base, are broad and flattened, and have a downy margin. The rachis features a deep grooved channel. Leaves are triangular, 2–3 pinnate, roughly 30 cm wide and 45 cm long, green, and have a fern-like or feathery appearance, with hairs on the underside. The lowest primary leaf division is much smaller than the rest of the leaf. Flowers are arranged in compound umbels on short pedicels (less than 1 cm), with a ring of short, stout hairs at the apex. Umblets hold downy oval bractioles with red pointed tips, and are arranged on 4–10 rays that measure 1.5–3 cm long. Rays are glabrous (smooth and hairless), and no bract is present. Peduncles are roughly the same length as the rays, more or less glabrous, and furrowed. Each individual flower has 5 white petals, 2 stamens, and 2 styles with an enlarged base that forms a swelling at the apex of the ovary, called a stylopodium. The main stem connects to a single primary taproot that can branch further below the soil surface, and lateral rhizomes can grow from the roots. In the United Kingdom, cow parsley flowers from April to early June. Cow parsley grows in sunny to semi-shaded sites in meadows, and along the edges of hedgerows and woodland. It is a very common plant along roadsides, and its frothy early-blooming white flowers make it considered the most important springtime landscape wildflower in Britain. Despite this, the species is common and fast-growing enough to be considered a nuisance weed in gardens. Its ability to spread rapidly via rhizomes and produce large quantities of seeds in a single growing season has made cow parsley an invasive species in many areas of the United States. Vermont has added cow parsley to its "Watch List" of invasive species, while Massachusetts has banned the sale of the plant. It has been classified as a Class B Noxious Weed in the State of Washington since 1989, where its sale is also banned. In Iceland, cow parsley is classified as an alien invasive species. All above-ground parts of cow parsley are edible, with a flavour sharper than garden chervil. It is described as grassy parsley with a faint hint of licorice or aniseed. However, some sources suspect the plant is mildly toxic. Since it is an invasive species in many areas outside its native range and spreads easily along roads, wood edges and field edges, cow parsley is not cultivated, and is instead foraged from the wild. In the UK, it is foraged from February to November. Extreme caution is advised when foraging cow parsley, because it is easily confused with other toxic species in the Apiaceae family: deadly poison hemlock, hemlock water-dropwort, and fool's parsley. Because cow parsley's flavour is considered unremarkable and the foraging risk is high, wild foraging for this plant is usually strongly discouraged.
