European sanicle

Sanicula europaea, wood sanicle, is a perennial herb of the carrot family (Apiaceae) growing 20 to 60 cm tall from a short, stout rootstock. Most of its leaves are basal, long-stalked and glossy dark green, palmately divided into three to five toothed, wedge-shaped lobes, forming an attractive rosette. The slender, almost leafless flowering stems bear small, tight, rounded clusters (compact umbels) of tiny pinkish-white flowers, the male and bisexual flowers mixed within each head. Unlike most umbellifers the fruit is a small, rounded, two-parted body covered in hooked bristles that cling to fur and clothing, aiding dispersal. The plant flowers in early summer and is characteristic of shady deciduous woodland on moist, base-rich soils. It is widespread across Europe, extending into western Asia and parts of Africa.