© Zihao Wang, some rights reserved (CC-BY) · iNaturalist
Overview
Aethusa is a genus of the carrot family represented by the single species A. cynapium, known as fool's parsley or poison parsley, an annual or biennial weed of cultivated and waste ground. The plant grows 8-32 inches (20-80 cm) tall on a smooth, hollow, branching stem and bears finely divided, shiny dark green leaves that look much like parsley but give off an unpleasant smell when crushed. Small white flowers are carried in flat compound umbels through summer, each cluster marked by a few long, narrow bracts that hang down on the outer side, a feature that helps separate it from related umbellifers. The whole plant contains toxic polyacetylene compounds and is poisonous to people and livestock if eaten; its likeness to parsley and other edible umbellifers is the main hazard, as it has been mistaken for them. It grows quickly from seed on disturbed, fertile soils in sun or light shade, completes its life cycle in one or two years, and self-sows freely. It dies after setting seed.
Native Range
Aethusa cynapium is native to Europe, western Asia, and North Africa, growing on cultivated land, field edges, gardens, and waste ground. It has spread as a weed to North America and other temperate regions through farming and the movement of soil and grain.Suggested Uses
Aethusa has no garden or culinary use and is treated as a weed of arable and waste ground. Its main significance is as a poisonous look-alike of parsley and other edible umbellifers, which makes its recognition useful in foraging and farming safety. It is sometimes included in teaching collections of toxic and weedy plants.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height8" - 2'8"
Width/Spread6" - 1'4"
Bloom Information
Flowering runs through summer, roughly June to August, in small white compound umbels. The drooping bracts beneath each flower cluster appear with the blooms. Seed ripens from late summer and the plant then dies.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
dark greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-10 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs