Spreading Chervil

Spreading Chervil, Wild Chervil

Chaerophyllum procumbens (L.) Crantz.

Apiaceae, the Carrot Family

▲ ▼ mature, flowering plants

▲ flowers

▲ ▼ fruit

Chaerophyllum procumbens (L.) Crantz; Spreading Chervil, Wild Chervil:

Cool-season annual or biennial in the Carrot family
First produces a rosette of overall triangular-shaped, but finely-divided leaves with slight parsley odor; first leaves have longer petioles than those on flowering stem (which may not have petioles); petiole bases expand to surround stem, where present
Inflorescences are open umbels of clusters of tiny white flowers; base of each sub-umbel surrounded by five elongated bracts
Fruit is hairless, upright, green, becoming yellow when ripe, about 0.25 inch long
Stems are smooth to slightly hairy, particularly on ridges
Found in open woods, landscapes
Similar Southern Chervil (Chaerophyllum tainturieri Hook.) has umbel stems that are slightly swollen below the sub-umbel flower clusters, while spreading chervil flowering stems are not swollen just below the flower clusters

(Posted January 15, 2019)