Hairy chervil

Chaerophyllum hirsutum, the hairy chervil, is a herbaceous perennial in the family Apiaceae growing to about 1 m tall. The plant resembles cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) in overall appearance, with finely divided, apple-scented ferny foliage on hairy stems arising from a stout rootstock. Compound umbels of small white flowers, occasionally tinged pink, appear in May and June, followed by small elongated mericarps typical of the family. It is native to central and southern Europe, extending east to Ukraine, where it grows in damp mountain meadows, streamsides, and humid woodland clearings of montane and subalpine zones. The pink-flowered cultivar ‘Roseum’ is widely grown as a garden ornamental for its soft early-summer display. No widespread medicinal or culinary tradition is recorded for the species in the standard Western herbal literature.