SIX COMMON UMBELLIFERS

Delicate clusters of flowers are dotting our verges and field margins. Tiny petals are balanced on short stalks, neatly splayed as though arranged by a florist. They are Apiaceae or Umbelliferae, commonly known as umbellifers, comprising more than 3,800 species worldwide and one of the earliest identified plant families.

WILD CARROT Daucus carota Rarely exceeding 60cm in height, wild carrot has three forked bracts (small, leaf-like structures) that form beneath the flowerhead; a tight cluster of crisp white flowers, often with a deep-red central flower. The leaves are slender but robust.

GROUND ELDER Aegopodium podagraria Ground elder is so called due to the shape of its leaves, which are triangular, toothed and ternate (arranged in threes), and the delicate white flowers that combine to resemble the elder tree. Its rhizomes grow sideways through the soil.

COW PARSLEY Anthriscus sylvestris Come May, cow parsley seems to line every path. The flowers are small and delicate, with five creamy-white petals on short stalks, arranged in groups of up to 10 to form an umbel. The leaves are green and feathery, and the stalk is striated.

HOGWEED Heracleum sphondylium Hogweed grows tall, as high as two metres, and the stem is thick and robust with coarse and conspicuous hairs. The umbels consist of as many as 45 rays, while the white flowers sometimes carry a slightly pinkish tinge.

HEMLOCK Conium maculatum Hemlock contains coniine, which, when ingested, can be fatal to humans. To identify it, look to the leaves, which have a slightly glossy sheen, while its stem has distinctive purple blotches. Hemlock has a foul ‘mousy’ odour. Look but don’t touch.

GIANT HOGWEED

Heracleum mantegazzianum

This enormous plant can grow up to five metres tall, with vast umbels (up to 60cm). The stalk is ridged with purple splotches; the leaves deepgreen and lobed. Can blister skin if touched.