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Seseli libanotis
Also called Moon Carrot
Mooncarrot (Seseli libanotis) is a biennial herb of the carrot family, native to Eurasia and grown mainly as a wild plant on dry, chalky or rocky ground. It needs well-drained, dry soil and a sunny spot to thrive.
Seseli libanotis, also known by the common names moon carrot, mountain stone-parsley, or säfferot, is a species of herb in the genus Seseli of the carrot family, Apiaceae. It is native to Eurasia, throughout which it is widespread.
Seseli libanotis is usually a biennial, though sometimes grows as a monocarpic perennial. It flowers during July and August. Favoring a temperate environment, its natural distribution ranges throughout much of northern and central Eurasia and parts of North Africa, from England and Scandinavia to Siberia, and is prevalent in the Carpathian Mountains. It prefers rocky terrain, grassy slopes, or shrubbed areas, with dry, well-drained soil. In Britain, it is found entirely within SSSIs, growing on chalky terrain in the Chiltern Hills and South Downs. The plant has also been introduced to Maryland in the United States. S. libanotis has been identified as invasive. It has not been evaluated by the IUCN, though it is rare in Britain and classified there as Near Threatened.
The leaves and root are edible. The leaves are used in Eastern Turkey in salads. S. libanotis is useful in honey production and has also been used in folk medicine. Several studies suggest that S. libanotis and other members of Seseli have natural antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Seseli libanotis 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.
