Peucedanum palustre 'Milk-parsley'

Apiaceae: A biennial or short-lived perennial herb to 1.5m. Found growing on permanently damp peat, often in sites flooded in winter. The flowers are white, in open umbels, 3-4cm across.  Blooming from July-September. Stems hollow, grooved and angled, often tinged red. Leaflets pinnate, lobes narrowly linear, with entire margins and black tips. Native to Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, the Altai and Urals.

USES:

Milk-parsley was described in Carl von Linné’s texts as Finnish ginger (Finska Ingefähra), so ancient Finns probably used the aromatic, bitter-tasting plant as a medicine and even as culinary seasoning. Its root has also been chewed as a tobacco substitute.

GROWING INFORMATION:

I have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible otherwise in early spring. An easily grown plant, it succeeds in any moisture-retentive soil in a sunny position. Milk-parsley is the main food of swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Both the caterpillar and the adult butterfly warn off birds and other predators with their bright colours and bad taste.

HARVESTED:

 

APPROX. 50+ SEEDS