SPREADING HEDGE-PARSLEY

Torilis arvensis

Carrot Family [Apiaceae]

month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZarchaeophyte
 
flower
flower8white
 
inner
inner8pink
 
inner
inner8red
 
morph
morph8zygo
 
petals
petalsZ5
 
type
typeZumbel
 
stem
stem8round
 
stem
stem8fluted
slightly
rarity
rarityZscarce
 

Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
A rather short specimen with many leaves on display, several umbels of flowers or reddish hook-spiked fruits. [An unknown interloper with upwardly-curved white petals and fawn-coloured stems weaves from bottom right to top left]]


1st Sept 2007, unknown place. Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
Sometimes, just like Upright Hedge-Parsley the leaves have a reddish-maroon wash and tipped by an acuminate point. Both the upper side of the leaves and the stem have appressed, short course hairs.


1st Sept 2007, unknown place. Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
The fruits are more oblong and longer than those of Upright Hedge-Parsley. Fruits on Spreading Hedge-parsley are 4 to 6mm long, oblong to ovoidal and sometimes with a single groove from end to end, and are covered in curved [or straight] spines with a tiny hooked tip (whereas those of Upright Hedge-Parsley are shorter at 3 to 3.5mm long, with much the same shape: oblong to ovoidal, covered curved spines which have no hooks at their tips).


1st Sept 2007, unknown place. Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
The tips of the spines have minute hooks which cling to animals fur (or human clothing), for either to help the plants' spread.


1st Sept 2007, unknown place. Photo: © Bastiaan Brak
Fruits here are long and almost cylindrical, with hooked spines at tips.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
This time with green fruits - the one on the left showing a groove along the axis. Plus a single linear bracteole.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Reddish cylindrical fruits. Short stiff appressed hairs on stalks. One or two linear bracteoles to be made out on each umbellet. The grid has 1mm squares.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Reddish, curved hairs on fruit with tiny hooks.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
A dead(ish) herbarium specimen in fruit.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
A fresh(ish) herbarium specimen in flower and fruit.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The upper part of a stem; smallest squares on grid are 1mm.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The fruits (maroon).


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The fruits (green). Appressed hairs on stalks and stems. Minutely-hooked spines.


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
Appressed hairs on leaves, stalks and stems


Photo: (CC by 2.0) Geoff Toone
The flowers in close-up, with some fruits, and appressed white hairs on stems. The rays may be round or may be none-round with slight grooves or slight flats.


Not to be semantically confused with : Spreading Bellflower (Campanula patula), Spreading Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster divaricatus), Spreading Treacle-mustard (Erysimum repandum) or Spreading Meadow-grass (Poa humilis) [plants with similar names belonging to differing families]

Many similarities to : Upright Hedge-Parsley (Torilis japonica) - see captions for differences in number of umbels, fruits, number of bracts,

When the common name says it is 'Spreading Hedge-parsley' it does not mean that it spreads itself about, making new plants nearby (which it may well do), but rather that it's branches splay out more than do those of Upright Hedge-Parsley (Torilis japonica).

It is an archaeophyte which used to often occupies arable land - it is now getting rarer and is more often found in the SE of England, but decreasingly.


USE BY BUTTERFLIES
LAYS EGGS ON CATERPILLAR CHRYSALIS BUTTERFLY
Grizzled Skipper
Small Copper



  Torilis arvensis  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Apiaceae  

Distribution
 family8Carrot family8Apiaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Torilis
Torilis
(Hedge-Parsleys)

SPREADING HEDGE-PARSLEY

Torilis arvensis

Carrot Family [Apiaceae]