Sweet Cicely
Classification:
Family: Apiaceae, parsley family
Genus species: Osmorhiza longistylis
Leaves:
Leaves are pinnately divided. Leaves are parallel to the ground, in flat arrays. Leaves smell like licorice when crushed.
Flowers:
Flowers are tiny, arrayed in flat clusters or umbels at the tips of stems. Female styles are long, extend out of petals, hence the species name, longistylis. Blooms in mid-spring, in May.
Roots:
Roots are aromatic, smell like licorice.
More Information:
The genus name Osmorhiza is from the Greek osme for “odor” and rhiza for “root,” meaning “odorous root. The species name longistylis refers to the long female styles of the flower that extend out of the petals.
Photos:Sweet cicely leaves
Sweet cicely flowers
Sweet cicely flowers and fruit
