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Knotted hedgeparsley

Torilis nodosa

Also called Knotted Hedge Parsley, Knotted Bur Parsley, Hedge Parsley, Knotted Hemlock, Knotted Parsley, Hedgehog Parsley, Short Sock Destroyer

Knotted hedgeparsley
Photo: Anthony Valois and the National Park Service, Public domain

Torilis nodosa is an annual weed in the carrot family, native to the Mediterranean and western Europe, now found widely as an introduced weed in disturbed ground. It is grown only by accident or as a wild plant, so care depends on whether you are dealing with it in a garden or wanting to avoid it.

Family
Apiaceae (Carrot family)
Grows as
Annual
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Grows on its own in disturbed soil and needs no watering; water young plants only in dry spells.
Soil
Tolerates a wide range of soils, including poor and disturbed ground.
Temperature
Grows in temperate conditions; frost-tolerant as a seedling, dies back with cold and completes its life cycle in one season.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Macaronesia, W. Europe to Medit. and W. Himalaya
Climate
temperate

About

Torilis nodosa is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae known by the common names knotted hedgeparsley and short sock-destroyer. It is native to parts of Europe, especially the Mediterranean Basin and it is known elsewhere, such as North America, as an introduced species and a common weed. It grows in many types of habitat, particularly disturbed areas. It is an annual herb producing a hairy stem up to half a meter in maximum height. The alternately arranged leaves are each divided into several pairs of smooth-edged lance-shaped or linear leaflets. The inflorescence is a dense compound umbel of flower clusters on very short rays, often appearing like a cluster. Each flower has five petals which are unequal in size and are white with a pinkish or reddish tinge. Each greenish or pinkish fruit is about 3 millimeters long and is coated in long prickles.

Other Torilis plants

Spreading hedgeparsley · Erect hedgeparsley

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Torilis nodosa 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.

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