CHtE R O PH Y L LUM fylveftre..
Smooth Covj-fiarJley.
P ENT A ND RIA Digynia.
G en. Char. General Invol. none; partial reflexed, concave.
"Petals heart-fhaped. Fruit oblong, fmoothifh.
Spec. C har. Stem ftriated, fmooth ; flightly fwell-
ing below the joints.
S y n . Chaerophyllum fylveftre. Linn. Sp. PI. 369.
Sm. FI. Brit. 326. Hudf. 124. With. 308. Hull.
63. Relh. 12 1 . Sihth. 100. Abbot. 66. Curt. Lond.
fafc. 4. t. 25. Mart. FI. Ruft. t. 96.
Cicutaria vulgaris. Raii Syn. 207.
F R E Q .U E N T about hedges in the borders of rather fertile
paftures, flowering about the end of April or early in May,
being one of our earlieft umbelliferous plants.
Root perennial, fpindlefhaped, flightly milky, but little
branched. Stem about 3 feet high, erefit, branched, leafy,
round, flriated, a little fwelled below the joints, more efpecially
as the plant advances in age; it is for the moft part downy
towards the bottom, but the upper part is fleek, and in general
(though not always) devoid of pubefcence. Leaves triply pinnate,
the leaflets deeply cut, almoft fefiile, rough at the edge.
Umbels when young more or lefs drooping, though commonly
lefs fo than in C. temulentum; as the flowers expand they become
quite erect. Involucella ovate, membranous, fringed
with thick-fet white hairs. Flowers whitifh; their ftalks
fmooth. Petals more or lefs notched, rarely entire, a little
irregular. Fruit oblong, fomewhat elliptical, coihpofed of
2 nearly cylindrical feeds, externally very flightly ribbed, and
deftitute of all roughnefs.
The whole herb has a fweetilh carrot-like fmell and tafte,
and is eaten by domeftic cattle. Rabbits are faid to be peculiarly
fond of it.
The almoft equally common C. temulentum is diftinguifhed
by its more fwelling, fpotted, and very rough ftem, and briftly
flower-ftalks.