Cow Parsley is one of the most familiar spring wildflowers of British lanes, hedgerows and woodland edges. In April, May and June its masses of white, lacy flower heads can turn whole verges into a frothy haze.
It belongs to Apiaceae, the carrot family, whose members include Wild Carrot, Hogweed, Hemlock, Angelica, Fennel, Parsley and cultivated carrots. The family’s old botanical name, Umbelliferae, refers to the umbrella-like flower clusters that are one of its most recognisable features.
Identification
- Usually around 60–100 cm tall, although plants can sometimes grow taller.
- White flowers are carried in broad, airy compound umbels.
- Each umbel is divided into smaller umbellets, each containing many tiny flowers.
- Leaves are fresh green, fern-like and divided two or three times into pointed segments.
- Stems are hollow and usually ridged or grooved, without the conspicuous purple blotches associated with Hemlock.
- The plant often grows in large drifts along hedges, lanes and woodland margins.
Cow Parsley is one of the earliest common umbellifers to flower, often appearing before many of its similar-looking relatives.
Flower structure
The characteristic flower head is a compound umbel. Several main flower stalks radiate from one point like the ribs of an umbrella, and each ends in a smaller umbellet of individual flowers.
The flowers themselves are tiny and usually have five white petals and five stamens. Flowers around the outside of an umbel may have slightly enlarged outer petals, helping give the whole flower head its delicate, lacy appearance.
This umbel structure is an important clue to the Apiaceae family.
Leaves
Cow Parsley leaves are finely divided and have a soft, fern-like appearance. They are typically two to three times pinnate, meaning that the leaf is divided into smaller sections and those sections are divided again.
The leaf segments are pointed and toothed. The leaves are arranged alternately along the stem, and—as is common in Apiaceae—the base of the leaf stalk expands into a sheath around the stem.
Stems and fruit
The stems are hollow and usually longitudinally ridged. They are normally green, although some purple colouring can occur, so identification should never rely on stem colour alone.
After flowering, Cow Parsley develops narrow, elongated fruits. Each fruit ultimately consists of two one-seeded parts, known as mericarps, another characteristic feature of the carrot family.
Habitat
Cow Parsley is widespread and common across Britain. Typical habitats include:
- hedgerows and hedge banks
- roadside verges and country lanes
- woodland edges and clearings
- field margins and farmland
- grassy banks
- parks, gardens and other nutrient-rich ground
It particularly favours fertile soils and partly shaded places.
Flowering period
Cow Parsley flowers mainly from April to June. It is often the first abundant member of the carrot family to create large displays along roadsides and hedgerows.
Similar species
Cow Parsley belongs to a family containing several very similar-looking species, including some that are highly poisonous. Identification should therefore use a combination of features rather than the white umbels alone.
Hemlock (Conium maculatum) is highly poisonous. It generally has a smooth, hairless stem marked with conspicuous purple-red blotches and usually flowers later than Cow Parsley.
Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) is much more robust, with broader, coarser leaves and larger flower heads. Its sap can irritate skin, particularly in sunlight.
Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) often has a more compact, flatter umbel, frequently with conspicuous bracts beneath it, and is commonly associated with drier grasslands and coastal habitats.
Rough Chervil (Chaerophyllum temulum) can occur in similar shady habitats and has hairy, often purple-spotted stems, but its leaves and fruits differ on close inspection.
Because several Apiaceae are dangerously poisonous, this page should not be used as a foraging guide.
Folklore & history
Cow Parsley has accumulated an extraordinary number of traditional names. Queen Anne’s lace, Lady’s lace and Fairy lace all refer to the delicate white flower heads and their resemblance to fine lace.
One old story says the plant was named Queen Anne’s lace because its flowers recalled the lace worn by Queen Anne and her ladies. The name is also used for Wild Carrot, so it is not botanically precise.
A more ominous traditional name is Mother-die or Mummy-die. Children were warned that picking the plant would cause their mother to die. The warning may have had a practical purpose: keeping children from picking white-flowered umbellifers that could be confused with poisonous relatives such as Hemlock.
Other recorded names include Kex, Kecksie, Hedge Parsley and Rabbit Meat. Cow Parsley also has a history of use in folk medicine and as an insect repellent, although the similarity between edible and toxic members of the family makes casual use unsafe.
Wildlife
The open umbels provide easily accessible pollen and nectar to a wide range of insects. Bees, hoverflies and other flies visit the flowers, and Orange-tip butterflies may feed on the nectar.
Cow Parsley is particularly valuable as an early-season source of pollen and nectar along hedgerows and woodland margins. It is also used as a food plant by the moth Agonopterix heracliana.