This plant is very invasive and can be a real problem for arable farmers as well as taking over roadside verges and hedgerow bases.
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Wild Chervil
(19 votes, average: 3.68 out of 5)
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Wild Chervil
Wild chervil is much more successful at spreading using rhizomes (lateral roots) than by seed dispersal.
| Hedgerow Type | |
| Common Names | Cow Parsley |
| Scientific Name | Anthriscus sylvestris |
| Season Start | Mar |
| Season End | Nov |
Please note that each and every hedgerow item you come across may vary in appearance to these photos.
Leaves
Fern like and a bit like flat leaved parsley. Can be slightly curled and hairy, pinnate and rough to the touch.
Flowers
Small white flowers forming small umbels from April to June.
Seeds
Many seeds on the ends of the umbels.
Stem
The branching leaf stems have a notch running down them, rather like celery.
Habitat
Roadsides, wood edges, field boundries, hedges and waste ground.
Possible Confusion
Many poisonous umbellifers like young Hemlock, Fools Parsley, Hemlock Water Dropwort and a couple of others. We don’t use Wild Chervil as its taste doesn’t warrant the risk of confusing it with other deadly members of its family. If you want to pick a parsley flavoured plant we recommend sticking to Ground Elder!
The adjacent picture is showing a Hemlock leaf.
Smell
A bit like parsley or carrot, mildly sweet but with grass in the background.
Taste
Like mild parsley with a slight licorice or aniseed hint but also a touch of grass.
Frequency
Very common.
Collecting
The leaves are one of the first to emerge after a severe winter, otherwise they continue to grow all year.
Medicinal Uses
Chervil has been used in various folk medicines. It was claimed to be useful as a digestive aid and for lowering high blood pressure.
Other Facts
Apparently for baiting slugs!
