Marsh Parsley Cyclospermum leptophyllum
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Apium leptophyllum
- Apium tenuifolium
- Cyclospermum ammi
- Phonetic Spelling
- sy-kloh-SPUR-mum lep-toh-FILL-um
- Description
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Marsh parsley, in the Apiaceae (or carrot) family, is a summer annual. It has finely-dissected leaves and forms a branched mound up to 2 feet tall. Flowers are small, white, and tinged pink. Young seedlings strongly resemble wild carrot seedlings and emerge from mid-spring though mid-autumn with multiple generations per year. Plants prefer moist areas, growing well on irrigation ditches and in standing water of production areas. No data are available on herbicide effectiveness.
Its native habitat, which includes most of the tropics, includes wet to dry thickets or fields, ditches, waste sites, and other low areas. Under ideal conditions, this plant can spread out of its cultivated area into lawns and other locations where it is considered weedy and may become invasive in some environments..
Although caution should be used when harvesting for human consumption, the leaves are used by some as a substitute for parsley.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: It has weedy tendencies and self-seeds easily.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Cyclospermum
- Species:
- leptophyllum
- Family:
- Apiaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Mexico to South Tropical America
- Distribution:
- AL, AR, AZ, FL, GA, MI, NC, NM, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 6 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Native Plant
- Weed
- Habit/Form:
- Ascending
- Erect
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Medium
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil Drainage:
- Frequent Standing Water
- Moist
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Fruit Type:
- Schizocarp
- Fruit Description:
- The light green immature fruits turn brown as they mature and fall to the ground. Each fruit contains 2 seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Pink
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Umbel
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Long Bloom Season
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are small (less than half of 1 mm), white and tinged pink. Young seedlings strongly resemble wild carrot seedlings and emerge from mid-spring through mid-autumn with multiple generations per year.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The plant has finely-dissected leaves and forms a branched mound up to 2 feet tall. As the leaves ascend the stem, they become smaller in size.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- The smooth stems are coarse and grooved, striped with light green to yellow-green veins.
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Landscape:
- Problems:
- Weedy
