Practical
Plants

Chaerophyllum bulbosum

Turnip-Rooted Chervil

a biennial member of the Chaerophyllum genus in the family Umbelliferae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
biennial
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.

One report suggests that the leaves and roots are poisonous[1]. The same report says that this plant is cultivated for its edible root! The root is unlikely to be poisonous[K].

Edible uses

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

Root - raw or cooked[2, 33, 34, 37, K]. The raw root is rather tough, but has a nice, aromatic, starchy flavour[K]. When cooked it becomes floury and sweet[6] with a peculiar flavour that is excellent and unlike any other vegetable[3]. Peeling the roots ruins the flavour[3]. The root is about the size of a small carrot[4]. It can be harvested when the foliage dies down, usually in July/August from an autumn sowing, and stored like potatoes for later use[1]. It is best harvested as required[2]. The roots contain about 20% starch and 4% protein[10]. Young stems - raw or cooked[10]. Some caution is advised, see notes at the top of the sheet.

Plant part
Root
Plant part
Stem

Environment

Range
Europe to W. Asia.
Habitat
Fallow fields and water meadows from 1000 - 2100 metres in Turkey[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
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 - best sown in the autumn in situ[7]. The seed has a very short viability[1] or, according to another report, the seed becomes dormant if allowed to dry out and will not germinate for a year[2]. If stored for a spring sowing it should be kept in damp sand in a cold but frost-free place and then sown in situ in March[1]. Another alternative is to sow the seed in the autumn in a seed tray in a cold frame and then to sow the seed, soil and all, in early April in situ[2].

Cultivation

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

An easily grown plant, succeeding in almost any soil[1], though it prefers a moist soil[6]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.6 to 7. The turnip-rooted chervil is occasionally cultivated for its edible root[8][9], there is at least one named variety[3]. The sub-species C. bulbosum prescottii (synonym C. prescottii) is used in Russia[10]. The root of this sub-species contains about 17% starch[10].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  2. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

  6. Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8

    ↩1↩2

  7. Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960-00-00

    ↩

  8. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

  10. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  11. Davis. P. H. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press 1965-00-00

    ↩

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