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Cryptotaenia spp.
honewort
Temperate woodlands of East Asia, eastern North America, and Africa
Overview
Cryptotaenia is a small genus of about four perennial herbs in the carrot family, native to woodlands of East Asia, North America, and Africa. Plants form slender, upright clumps 12-36 inches (30-90 cm) tall from a short rootstock, with thin, branching stems. The leaves are divided into three broad, toothed leaflets, mid-green and somewhat glossy, on long stalks. Tiny white flowers are carried in sparse, open compound umbels through summer, followed by small ribbed seeds. The genus grows in moist, shaded woodland and along stream banks on humus-rich soils, where it self-seeds and spreads into loose colonies. Cryptotaenia japonica, known as mitsuba or Japanese wild parsley, is grown as a culinary herb for its aromatic leaves and stalks, and a purple-leaved form is used as an ornamental. The North American C. canadensis, honewort, is a quieter woodland plant. As a group these herbs grow in cool, shaded, consistently moist conditions and tend to wilt and scorch in full sun or dry soil. They are short-lived but renew freely from self-sown seed.
Native Range
Cryptotaenia is native to moist temperate woodlands of East Asia, eastern North America, and parts of Africa. C. japonica occurs in Japan, Korea, and China, while C. canadensis grows in the woodlands of eastern North America.Suggested Uses
Cryptotaenia is grown in shaded and woodland gardens as a groundcover and filler, with the purple-leaved mitsuba used for foliage contrast. The aromatic leaves, stems, and roots of mitsuba are used as a herb and vegetable in Japanese cooking. In naturalistic plantings it knits together the ground layer beneath shrubs and trees.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height1' - 3'
Width/Spread1' - 1'6"
Bloom Information
Flowering occurs through summer, broadly June to August in temperate gardens. The small white flowers open in loose, few-rayed umbels held above the foliage. Ribbed seeds follow and drop nearby, giving abundant self-sown seedlings.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
mid-green, purple in some formsGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 2-6 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
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Cryptotaenia grows in part to full shade in cool, moist, humus-rich soil that does not dry out. It tolerates ordinary garden soil where shade and moisture are reliable, but it wilts and scorches in full sun or drought. Steady moisture and a leafy, woodland-type soil keep the foliage in good condition through summer. The plant self-seeds freely, so seedlings appear around established clumps and can spread through a bed. Where grown as the herb mitsuba, leaves and stalks are cut young and the plant resown in succession. It needs no winter cover in temperate climates and dies back to the rootstock in cold areas.Pruning
Cryptotaenia needs no woody pruning. Cutting back flowering stems before seed ripens limits self-sowing where that is unwanted. Removing tired summer foliage encourages a flush of fresh leaves, which is useful in the culinary forms.Container Growing
Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 2 gallons