ROUGH CHERVIL

Chaerophyllum temulum

(Formerly: Chaerophyllum temulentum)
Carrot Family [Apiaceae]

month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

status
statusZnative
flower
flower8white
inner
inner8cream
morph
morph8hemizygo
petals
petalsZ5
type
typeZumbel
stem
stem8round

26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
A biennial which grows up to 1m in height.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
There are quite a few specimens of Rough Chervil in this clump.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
The terminal umbel has mostly hermaphrodite (aka bisexual) flowers in it; the lateral umbels mostly male flowers.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
The number of rays in an umbel are usually 6 to 12 (occasionally 4 to 15). The umbels lack bracts (or rarely have 1 or 2 bracts#). The umbellets (upper umbels), on the other hand have between 5 and 8 bracteoles, which are somewhat angled downwards.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
The rays are hairy. The bracteoles are long-triangular with a longish narrow tip. The flowers lack sepals and are white.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
With 5 white petals.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
The undeveloped (green) fruits. Ripe fruits (not shown) are usually 5 to 6mm long and will be broadest just below the middle. The 2 styles are recurved and sit on a pale stylopodium.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
The bracteoles beneath the umbellets (of here fruits) are hairy and taper to a point. The fruit in the centre shows the undeveloped fruit.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
Showing the way the raylets of the umbellet radiate.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
The leaves are dark-green and between 2 and 3 pinnate.


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD


26th June 2019, flanks of Great Orme, Llandudno, North Wales Photo: © RWD
The stems are solid (not hollow) with purple splodges (only Hemlock shares this trait). The stem is swollen for some distance below any branches and has short hairs.
Hairs on both surfaces of the leaves are appressed to the surface, directed outwards.


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Grizzled Skipper



Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature : An umbellifer with purplish splodges on the stems. Only Hemlock has something similar.

Rough Chervil, flowering in May, is one of just 3 common hedgerow umbellifers, the others being Cow Parsley (which is by far the commonest and the first to flower [April]) and Hedge Parsley (aka Upright Hedge-Parsley) which is the last of the 3 to flower [July].

It is found in hedge banks, grassy places, wood-borders, and other places in light shade.


It is a toxic member of the Umbellifer family containing not ony two toxic Polyynes (aka polyacetylenes) being Falcarinol and Falcarinone, but also a toxic alkaloid called Chaerophylline which Humans seldom try eating. However animals do and this can result in the animal staggering about before becoming apathetic, with severe and exhausting colic sometimes ending in death. Chaerophylline seems to be also found in some species of species of Corydalis although chemically it is only slightly related to the berberine alkaloids typically found in those plants. Chaerophylline is related to the BenzylIsoquinoline alkaloids such as Papaverine and Reticuline which are found in some Poppies (namely Opium Poppy) - they have the same skeletal chemical form as Chaerophyllene.


  Chaerophyllum temulum  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Apiaceae  

Distribution
 family8Carrot family8Apiaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Chaerophyllum
Chaerophyllum
(Chervils)

ROUGH CHERVIL

Chaerophyllum temulum

(Formerly: Chaerophyllum temulentum)
Carrot Family [Apiaceae]