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Torilis japonica
Also called Erect hedge-parsley, Japanese hedge-parsley, Upright hedge-parsley, Hedge Parsley, Japanese Hedge Parsely
Torilis japonica is a wild herbaceous plant of the carrot family, native across Eurasia, that is usually grown only as a wildflower or weed rather than a garden plant. It behaves as an annual or biennial, flowering in its second year, and it is an aggressive invader in North America.
Torilis japonica, the erect hedgeparsley, upright hedge-parsley or Japanese hedge parsley, is a herbaceous flowering plant species in the celery family Apiaceae. Japanese hedge parsley is considered both an annual and biennial plant depending on the biogeographical location. This means Japanese hedge parsley can complete its life cycle in either one or two growing seasons depending on habitat. Japanese hedge parsley is typically found in areas with disturbed soils, pastures, margins, open woodland, near waste sites, or right-of-way habitats. It can withstand a variety of habitats, thriving in partial and full shaded areas, but also withstanding habitats with full sunlight penetration. It is considered an aggressive invasive species in North America; invading a wide range of habitats due to its environmental tolerance and tendency to outcompete native vegetation.
Despite japonica meaning “of Japan”, the native range of Japanese hedge parsley spans from Western Europe to central Asia, northern Japan, and Mediterranean parts of northern Africa. In Europe, T. japonica is a summer annual/biennial. In its United States invasive range, it is considered a summer biennial. In Japan, it is considered a winter annual.
Japanese hedge parsley has been known for its medicinal properties in Chinese traditional medicine. It has been used for treating hemorrhoids, spasm, uterine tumors, fever, and dysentery. Recently, medical studies have shown that Japanese Hedgeparsley may have a potential for combating cancer. A substance known as torilin can be extracted from the plant and has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of 5 alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone to DHT. Torilin is a compound from the fruits of the plant and has been shown to inhibit the growth of blood vessels in tumor development from benign to malignant and thus has a toxic effect on tumors. It also has been found to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to androgen, which is being studied further in the treatment of prostate cancer and alopecia.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Torilis japonica 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.
