Anthriscus caucalis (Bieb) Bur Chervil
NOMENCLATURE
Anthriscus : from Greek, by Theophrastus.
PREVIOUS NAMES : A. scandicina (Mansf).A. vulgaris (Pers. non Bernh).
Chaerophyllum anthriscus (L)Crantz. A. neglecta (Boiss&Reuter)
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
TYPE : annual. Th. HEIGHT: 80-100cm. STEM: freely branched, hollow, glabrous to very
sparsely hairy, striate, curved below, purplish towards base. thicker below nodes.
UMBELS: compound, 2-4cm. leaf opposed with 3-6 glabrous rays 1cm, often divaricate or
recurved in fruit. Peduncle < than rays, glabourous, elongating + thickening in fruit.
LEAVES: 10 cm. 2-3 pinnate, Segments ovate, pinnatifid lobes 5-lO mm. obtuse., hairy
beneath, usually glabrous above. Petioles inflated and villous towards the base.
Cotyledons tapered at the base no petioles.
BRACTS: rarely 1. Bracteoles 4-5, 2mm ovate, acuminate, ciliate.
FLOWERS : 2mm. White.. hermaphrodite, subsessile. Styles forming stylopodium. Fl. 5-6.
FRUIT : 3mm, ovoid, shortly beaked, covered in hooked spines, glabrous. Mericarps with ridges
only in the beak. Commisure narrow. Carpophore present.. Pedicels with a slightly
thickened, subsessile. 2n=14.
HABITAT : hedgebanks, near sea, waste places. Sandy soil.
DISTRIBUTION: native. Britain, local, absent in N.& W.. W.& C.& S. Europe. Temp. Asia. N.Africa.
VARIETIES : Var. A. negIecta
