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My husband just called me from Vermont in a panic. "Don't plant the seeds I sent you, they are Chertle", prolific and bad sap, etc. I said "too late" because I thought they were Yarrow. I still think they are yarrow, and besides, nothing grows here in this sand. So should I be watchful? I can't find anything. Here's a picture, it's all over the place up there and so what!
Your husband was right to warn you, it is part of the Hog Weed family Angelica, but not the edible type, the one you show causes great skin irritation if you get the sap onto your bare skin, sometimes causing blisters once you get the sun onto the sap on your skin, so once you see the seedlings come through, I would suggest you get rid of them before the flower as this plant sends out millions of seeds that spread like lightning, before you know it, the neighbourhood could be covered by this, it also grows very long and tough roots that are harder to remove as it matures. It does look a tiny bit like Yarrow, but Yarrow mostly has yellow or orange flowers, always be careful when you gather wild seeds as sometime if you dont really know what the plant is, you can end up in bother and trouble you wont want to wish on your worst enemy, Good luck. WeeNel.
Looks like it. It's all over up there, as is the dandilion. They compete for space. But the dandilion won't grow here. So maybe this won't either. And it would be just like him to be calling a chervil a chertle. I see that Hudson Seed is selling it. too. Thank you for your help, ecrane3.
It also looks similar to Queen Anne's Lace! It takes over fields, too. I think they're pretty, and brought in a boquet once. It made my dd and Me sick! Allergies! BAD! I'm not saying that's what it is, though!
I think Queen Anne's lace is just another locality name for the same plant if memory serves me correct, the name is from the ancient patterns on lace made for ladies trimmings etc, it really is a lovely plant, but like lots of things in life, beauty can be just skin deep eh, ha, ha, ha, good luck. WeeNel.
I would have know if it was Queen Anne's Lace. Used to play with it as a kid. We would put it in easter egg dye with water and the flower would turn that color.
I didn't know how to send this PDF file so I just copy/pasted the thing. I hope that's ok.
Wild Chervil - A Relatively New Weed Problem in Central Vermont
Credit: Province of Nova Scotia
Wild Chervil, Anthriscus sylvestris (L.) Hoffm., is a weed
belonging to the parsley family (Apiaceae) and is becoming a
serious problem in hay fields and pastures in central Vermont.
It's three to four foot heights, fern-like leaves and white
flowers arranged in a compound umbel pattern are quite
pronounced during late May to early July and are commonly
found along roadsides and in meadows in central Vermont.
Over the past five years, this weed has spread rapidly. It
propagates by both seed and by lateral budding at the top of
the root. It competes aggressively with forage crops for light,
water and nutrients and often kills off the surrounding
vegetation by shading it. It is particularly damaging to forage
crops but has not been a problem in cultivated or tilled fields.
Wild chervil is not poisonous to livestock and, although it is unpalatable when large, animals
will graze it effectively when small. The stems are very slow to dry and, if harvested in forage,
will reduce crop quality due to molding. This weed also serves as a host for the parsnip yellow
fleck virus that infects carrots, celery, and parsnips.
Plant Description
The plants produce hollow flower stems, up to 6 feet tall. The stems are branched and covered in
soft hair, particularly near the base. The leaves are arranged alternately on the flower stems and
are nearly hairless. Each leaf is divided into smaller leaflets, which in turn are also divided. The
base of each leaf stalk surrounds the stem.
Flowers are produced at the top of the stems in a flat-topped mass called a compound umbel,
starting around late May to early June. Individual flower stems grow from the same point
forming umbellets, many of which form an umbel. Each flower is white and has five notched
petals that are larger toward the outside of the umbellet. The flowers have been confused with
those of wild carrot (Daucus carota L.), or Queen Anne's lace. A good way to distinguish wild
carrot is to look for the unique curved bracts at the base of each umbel. In addition, wild chervil
is the first of the parsley family to flower in Vermont and wild carrot flowers later in the season.
Wild Chervil (no bracts) Wild Carrot (with bracts)
Biology, Habitat and Life Cycle
Wild chervil is native to Europe where it is a very common along roadsides and pastures. It was
probably introduced in North America in wildflower seed mixes that were designed to imitate the
plants commonly found in British meadows and hedgerows. It will grow in a variety of soil
types, but prefers rich, moist soils. It may be found along roadsides, edges of woods, and in
waste places.
Wild Chervil can be either a biennial or short-lived perennial that spreads by seed and root
budding. As a biennial, it forms a rosette in the first year, flowers the second year producing
seed, and then dies. However, if it is disturbed in its first year or early in its second year (before
producing flowering stems), it may grow as a rosette for successive years. At this point it
becomes a short-lived perennial, and will not die until it flowers and sets seed. This weed is a
heavy seed producer and will spread rapidly. Birds, water and human activity are responsible
for seed movement. Mowing operations undertaken after seed set can cause linear movement
along right-of-ways.
Control
Wild chervil is very difficult to control because of its extremely deep taproot and its resistance to
herbicides. Pulling of flower stalks without removal of the entire rosette and taproot encourages
the crown to re-sprout in the following year. The taproot is frequently up to 6 feet deep, making
hand pulling almost impossible.
Mowing before seed set will eliminate seed propagation but have no impact on vegetative spread
from root buds. Mowing can deplete root reserves if done repeatedly before the plant sets seed.
An effective control for seedling plants is to dig up the plant, including the roots, before
flowering but this would be very labor intensive.
There has been limited research evaluating herbicides for wild chervil control. A study in Nova
Scotia in 1997 found dicamba (Banvil) to provide good control applied when plants were in the
vegetative stage. The same study also reported good control when there was a combination of
mowing pre-bloom followed by an application of dicamba one month later. In both cases,
dicamba was applied at 2 lbs. a.i. per acre. They did not evaluate some of the herbicides such as
Ally, Stinger or Crossbow that have been show to provide good to excellent control of wild
carrot.
References
Anonymous. Wild Chervil. Province of Nova Scotia. AgCanada, Production Technology
Branch. Website: [HYPERLINK@agri.gov.ns.ca]
Hoeg, Rick, Doug Doohan, Tim Thomsen, and Steven Harris. Control Of Wild Chervil In Grass
Forage. Province of Nova Scotia. AgCanada, Production Technology Branch. Website:
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of
Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offers education and employment to everyone
without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.
Prepared by Sid Bosworth, Extension Forage Specialist, 6/21/00
DESCRIPTION DETAILS
Anthriscus cerefolium
Chervil is an heirloom herb that was probably introduced to Europe by the Romans. Closely related to parsley, this herb has become indispensable in the kitchen, a classic in French cooking. Chervil produces flat, light green lacy leaves with a hint of anise and enhances the flavor of chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs and salads. A sprig in a bottle of white wine vinegar will transform your salads!
Chervil makes a great companion plant in any container, and produces tiny white flowers in mid-summer.
