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Myrrhis odorata
Also called Anise, Garden Myrrh, Sweet Cicely, Myrrh, Sweet Chervil
Sweet cicely is a tall, feathery-leaved perennial herb in the carrot family that smells strongly of aniseed and is grown for its leaves, roots and seeds. It is the only species in the genus Myrrhis and is best in fertile, moist soil in cool conditions.
Myrrhis odorata, with common names cicely ( SISS-ə-lee), sweet cicely, myrrh, garden myrrh, and sweet chervil, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the celery family Apiaceae. It is the only species in the genus Myrrhis.
In fertile soils it grows readily from seed, and may be increased by division in spring or autumn.
Its leaves are sometimes used as a herb, either raw or cooked, with a rather strong or sweet taste similar to anise. Also edible are the roots (cooked like parsnips) and seeds (chewed raw). It has a history of use as a medicinal herb.
Myrrhis odorata is native to mountains of southern and central Europe, from the Pyrenees to the Caucasus. It has been introduced and naturalized elsewhere in cultivated areas, woodland margins, roadside verges, river banks and grassland. In the British Isles it is most abundant in northern England and eastern Scotland.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cicely by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
