About Cervaria rivini Gaertn.
Cervaria rivini Gaertn. (referred to in this text as Peucedanum cervaria) averages 40–120 centimetres (16–47 in) in height, with a maximum height of 150 centimetres (59 in). The plant has cylindrical, glabrous, erect stems that are more or less branched. Its leaves are slightly blue-green and two to three times pinnatifid. Large umbels with 9 to 30 rays bear small white flowers. In the species' native habitat, the flowering period extends from July through September. It is a hemicryptophyte, with overwintering buds situated just below the soil surface, and it is scapose, producing an almost leafless stalk that grows directly from the ground. The fruits are oval, around 4 to 6 mm long and 3 to 4 mm wide, with narrow marginal ridges. This is a sub-Mediterranean species widespread in southern and central Europe, ranging from Spain, Italy and the Balkan Peninsula up to central Russia. Peucedanum cervaria grows singly or in loose groups on dry, light-rich, chalky sites, and occasionally in semi-arid grassland, at an altitude of 0 to 1,200 metres (0 to 3,937 ft) above sea level.
