Practical
Plants

Aethusa cynapium

Fool's Parsley

an annual member of the Aethusa genus in the family Umbelliferae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Aethusa
Life cycle
annual
Height
1.2 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The entire plant is poisonous though less so than Conium maculatum (q.v.)[8][1][5]. Small amounts can cause pain, confusion of vision and vomiting[7]. The dried plant might be safe to eat[1].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2]. It is very inadvisable to eat this plant, see the notes above on toxicity[4].

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Although fairly toxic, fool's parsley has occasionally been used in folk medicine[7]. The herb is sedative and stomachic. It has been used in the treatment of gastro-intestinal problems, especially in children, and also to treat convulsions and summer diarrhoea[8][9][7]. Extreme caution in the use of this herb is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Product or use
Sedative
Product or use
Stomachic

Environment

Range
Most of Europe, including Britain, to the Caucasus and south to Algeria.
Habitat
Grows in waste places and is also a common weed of cultivated ground but rarer in the north of Britain[10][3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - we have no details on this species but suggest sowing the seed in situ as soon as it is ripe or in spring.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have no details for this species, see its native habitat above for ideas on its cultivation needs. All parts of the plant have an unpleasant smell reminiscent of hemlock (Conium maculatum)[6].

References

  1. Altmann. H. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-7011-2526-8

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  5. Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-600-35666-3

    ↩

  6. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  7. Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-85613-067-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2

  9. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  10. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩

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