Cryptotaenia spp.

honewort

Apiaceae

Temperate woodlands of East Asia, eastern North America, and Africa

Attracts Pollinators Fragrant (light)Container Friendly

Native to North America

SunPart Shade – Full Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 4–8

Overview

Cryptotaenia spp. 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 spp. 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 spp. 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

Identify Cryptotaenia spp. by its slender woodland habit and leaves divided into three broad, toothed leaflets on long stalks. The small white flowers are held in sparse, open umbels with few rays, looking thin and airy rather than dense. The trifoliate leaves and sparse umbels separate it from most other woodland members of the carrot family.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1' - 3'

Width/Spread1' - 1'6"

Colors

Flower Colors

white

Foliage Colors

green

purple

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Summer

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 forms

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

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

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.5 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay peat

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

1-2 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Cryptotaenia spp. 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 spp. 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.