I have a plant that has ferny foliage and a cow parsley type pink flower.
It is now seeding and the seeds taste of aniseed. This thing forms a large
evergreen clump even during frosts and springs to life early in the year
(spring)
I have always thought this was Chervil but someone has told me that chervil
is an annual and does not overwinter.
Could it be some other culinary herb?

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" wrote in message
...
I have a plant that has ferny foliage and a cow parsley type pink flower.
It is now seeding and the seeds taste of aniseed. This thing forms a large
evergreen clump even during frosts and springs to life early in the year
(spring)
I have always thought this was Chervil but someone has told me that
chervil is an annual and does not overwinter.
Could it be some other culinary herb?

The chervil I bought from a respected grower is an annual, it's dying off
now. The flowers are tiny and white, the plant was small. I must admit I'm
disappointed, it hasn't been worth the effort :-(

Mary

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes
I have a plant that has ferny foliage and a cow parsley type pink flower.
It is now seeding and the seeds taste of aniseed. This thing forms a large
evergreen clump even during frosts and springs to life early in the year
(spring)
I have always thought this was Chervil but someone has told me that chervil
is an annual and does not overwinter.
Could it be some other culinary herb?


My first reaction was that I couldn't think offhand of an umbellifer
with pink flowers, but looking it up gives Hogweed, Hedge Parsley,
Greater Burnet Saxifrage, Coriander, Cumin, Corky fruited/tubular Water
Dropworts, Sulphurwort as having flowers which are sometimes pink.

Can you produce two good closeup pics, one of the leaf, another of the
flower, showing clearly any green spiky bits at the back of either the
main umbel or the little mini-umbels? Description of stem (colour, shape
and hairiness) and fruit would also help.

Umbelliferae is not a family to mess with unless you are sure of the
identification.

--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes
I have a plant that has ferny foliage and a cow parsley type pink flower.
It is now seeding and the seeds taste of aniseed. This thing forms a large
evergreen clump even during frosts and springs to life early in the year
(spring)
I have always thought this was Chervil but someone has told me that
chervil
is an annual and does not overwinter.
Could it be some other culinary herb?


My first reaction was that I couldn't think offhand of an umbellifer with
pink flowers, but looking it up gives Hogweed, Hedge Parsley, Greater
Burnet Saxifrage, Coriander, Cumin, Corky fruited/tubular Water Dropworts,
Sulphurwort as having flowers which are sometimes pink.

Can you produce two good closeup pics, one of the leaf, another of the
flower, showing clearly any green spiky bits at the back of either the
main umbel or the little mini-umbels? Description of stem (colour, shape
and hairiness) and fruit would also help.

Umbelliferae is not a family to mess with unless you are sure of the
identification.

--
Kay

Thanks
I will eventually post a few pics when it next flowers and I have my new
camera. Googling those possibilities you gave, may give me a clue.

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
I have a plant that has ferny foliage and a cow parsley type pink flower.
It is now seeding and the seeds taste of aniseed. This thing forms a large
evergreen clump even during frosts and springs to life early in the year
(spring)
I have always thought this was Chervil but someone has told me that chervil
is an annual and does not overwinter.
Could it be some other culinary herb?

It might be yarrow, which isn't really used as a culinary herb any
more, but used to be - it was also used as a toothache remedy. It
certainly fits the flower/foliage description, and it's a perennial.
There is a pink variety, which we have in our garden.

--
www.gastronomydomine.com

Squeezeweasel writes

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
I have a plant that has ferny foliage and a cow parsley type pink flower.
It is now seeding and the seeds taste of aniseed. This thing forms a large
evergreen clump even during frosts and springs to life early in the year
(spring)
I have always thought this was Chervil but someone has told me that chervil
is an annual and does not overwinter.
Could it be some other culinary herb?

It might be yarrow, which isn't really used as a culinary herb any
more, but used to be - it was also used as a toothache remedy. It
certainly fits the flower/foliage description, and it's a perennial.
There is a pink variety, which we have in our garden.

Does yarrow seed taste of aniseed?
--
Kay

"Squeezeweasel" wrote in message
ups.com...

Rupert (W.Yorkshire) wrote:
I have a plant that has ferny foliage and a cow parsley type pink flower.
It is now seeding and the seeds taste of aniseed. This thing forms a
large
evergreen clump even during frosts and springs to life early in the year
(spring)
I have always thought this was Chervil but someone has told me that
chervil
is an annual and does not overwinter.
Could it be some other culinary herb?

It might be yarrow, which isn't really used as a culinary herb any
more, but used to be - it was also used as a toothache remedy. It
certainly fits the flower/foliage description, and it's a perennial.
There is a pink variety, which we have in our garden.

--
www.gastronomydomine.com

Thanks for the suggestion but it's not Yarrow. The stems are fairly soft
unlike yarrow which tends to be more woody.

Squeezeweasel wrote:
It might be yarrow, which isn't really used as a culinary herb any
more, but used to be - it was also used as a toothache remedy. It
certainly fits the flower/foliage description, and it's a perennial.
There is a pink variety, which we have in our garden.

I'm stuck with the identification of an embelifarea too. My problem are
the leaves. They are long and thin, not fern like the others I know.
Impossible to find what it is and yes I washed my hands very well
afterwards. I don't have a picture here, but will get one of it
tomorrow. Do you think what it may be? White flowers, like cow parsley,
or angelica, not flat head like yarrow and long leaves, not fern.