Tags
carrot family, edible, flower, foraging, fruit, herb, medicinal, nature, poisonous lookalike, summer, urban nature, white flower
The parsley family presents a formidable challenge for the urban forager. As a large family of typically aromatic plants, it contains many herbs such as cilantro, fennel, and lovage – all of which complement and enhance routine culinary experiences. Yet, nefarious members like hemlock (Conium spp.) or water hemlock (Cicuta spp.) contain powerful neurotoxins that can be deadly even in small doses. In Berlin, a cursory look around any green area is likely to yield a member of the parsely family – its distinguishing umbels being an easy tell-tale sign. However, for the inexperienced (and sometimes experienced) observer, the exact determination of the species can be difficult. In fact, proponents of cautious foraging philosophies often do away with the whole family, but instead of excessive caution we believe that better plant identification skills are warranted. In practice, this means relying on an established botanical key which unfortunately is a lot more work than simply performing a Google image search, or flipping through less detailed foraging books. (For Germany, we recommend the Schmeil-Fitschen botanical key Flora von Deutschland und angrenzender Länder.)
Keeping the above in mind, today we briefly focus on an interesting and lesser known member of the parsely family: bishop’s weed (Aegopodium podagraria).
This plant appears to have been a botanical rock star during the Middle Ages in Europe serving both as a pot herb and as a cure against gout – hence another popular name for it, goutweed. At that time, bishop’s weed had a permanent place in monastic gardens along with other multitalented plants, but today it is found pretty much everywhere in Europe and it is considered invasive in some parts of North America. The young leaves are typically harvested in the spring and can be eaten in salads or, when picked later in the season, cooked like your favorite greens. The blooms and the small fruits are also edible, with all mentioned parts packing a nutritious combination of vitamins, minerals and protein. The plant is particularly rich in potassium, calcium, zinc, and vitamins A and C.
Bishop’s weed is found all over Berlin but it prefers wet and shady places. It tends to spread through its extensive rhizomes, hence it is typically found in colonies of varied sizes. One of its common German names is Geißfuß or goat’s foot, which seems to accurately describe the unique shape of the leaves. Water hemlock (Cicuta virosa) looks quite different from bishop’s weed, and one way to help tell the difference is the absolute lack of bracts in bishop’s weed and their presence in water hemlock.
forageporage said:
Did you post this for me? After my Water Hemlock post, I received a comment that it was not Water Hemlock, but, Goutweed, instead. I have looked high and low for a definitive answer as to which witch is which. And, here it is! May I repost? It’s a great example on just how confusing the Parsleys are!
berlinplants said:
Hi ForagePorage! so sorry for the late reply… We had to take a hiatus from the blogging world because our son was born in June and has kept us busy ever since 🙂
You are most welcome to repost if you are still interested. And yes, these plants are very easy to misidentify… we also had to do a lot of investigating and discussing before we were certain about the identification! We looked closely at the roots and everything, but in the end the bracts were the clearest sign. Hope that helps you too!
forageporage said:
CONGRATULATIONS! And, many blessings to your family.
I have, also, taken a blogging hiatus, due to real life! But, I am certainly interested in reblogging this post. Thank you, thank you! And, thanks for the extra tip about the bracts.
Cindy said:
Serendipity..just listening to a wild food forager on the radio, discussing the dangers of the Parsley family..Thanks again for an infornative post!
berlinplants said:
You’re welcome, Cindy, and thanks for commenting! 🙂
Ali said:
Oh my goodness, your blog is a dream come true! I am an avid forager who moved from Australia to Berlin, so my knowledge of southern hemisphere edibles is a little out of place, and my German is not QUITE good enough to read up on local foraging habits- in 30 minutes of browsing your blog a thousand little questions I’d had about probably-edible plants I’d seen around the city are answered! Thank you so much for taking the time to take these beautiful photos and write out these extremely informative posts, I’ll be double-checking all the autumn foraging posts for the months to come.
berlinplants said:
Hi Ali, Thanks so much for your lovely comment. It’s always great to hear that someone is making us of our blog while exploring the city! New posts coming soon…:) And feel free to share any plant-related discoveries you make or let us know if you have any questions.
forageporage said:
Reblogged this on Forageporage's Blog and commented:
A GREAT reblog from Berlin Plants! Thank you SO much!
Pingback: Ammi majus is ‘The Garden Gate Plant of the Week’ - The Garden Gate Flower Company