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Anthriscus cerefolium - (L.)Hoffm.

Chervil

Author	(L.)Hoffm.	Botanical references	200
Family	Umbelliferae	Genus	Anthriscus
Synonyms	Anthriscus longirostris - Bertol. Chaerophyllum sativum - Lam. Scandix cerefolium - L.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	South-eastern Europe. Naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat	Hedgebanks, roadsides and waste places[9, 17].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.45m by 0.25m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Hedgerow; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Edible Uses: Condiment.

Edible leaves - raw in salads or used as a flavouring in cooked foods such as soups and stews[2, 14, 21, 27, 46, 61, 100, 244]. A mild aromatic flavour[183] that is suggestive of aniseed[238]. The leaves are often used as a flavouring, they form the basis of the seasoning 'fines herbes'[200] and are an essential ingredient of 'bouquet garni'[244]. The leaves should always be used fresh because the delicate flavour does not withstand drying or prolonged cooking[238, 244]. The leaves are ready for harvesting in about 8 weeks from sowing, the plant responds well to cut and come again harvesting[200]. The flowers are used as a seasoning[183]. The root is said to be edible[177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Digestive; Diuretic; Expectorant; Ophthalmic; Poultice; Stimulant.

Chervil is not widely used as a medicinal herb, though it is sometimes employed as a 'spring tonic' for cleansing the liver and kidneys, is a good remedy for settling the digestion and is said to be of value in treating poor memory and mental depression[238, 244, 254]. The fresh plant, harvested just before flowering, is digestive, diuretic, expectorant, poultice and stimulant[9, 21, 201]. The juice is used in the treatment of dropsy, arthritis and chronic skin ailments[9]. The bruised leaves are used as a poultice for slow-healing wounds[9] and a warm poultice is applied to painful joints[268]. An infusion of the fresh leaves is also used as an eyewash to treat sore or inflamed eyes[244].

Other Uses

Repellent.

The growing plant is said to repel slugs[238].

Scented Plants

Leaves: Crushed

The bruised leaves are pleasantly scented.

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained moisture retentive soil[200]. Plants dislike hot dry summers[200], it is best to give summer crops a cool shady position but winter crops require a sunny position[14, 18, 37, 52]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.8 to 7.6. Plants are hardy to about -10°c[200]. Chervil is occasionally cultivated as a salad plant, especially in France[268]. There are some named varieties[183]. It can supply fresh leaves all year round from successional sowings, especially if given some protection in winter[238]. Although a biennial, it is usually cultivated as an annual[238]. It often self-sows when grown in a suitable position[18, 200]. Be careful if harvesting this plant from the wild because it is superficially similar to some poisonous species such as young plants of hemlock, Conium maculatum[244]. Chervil is an aromatic plant with pleasantly scented leaves[245]. It is said to be a good companion plant for growing with carrots and radishes[18, 201], the radishes becoming hotter and crisper[201]. It also grows well with dill and coriander[201]. When grown with lettuces it is said to protect them from aphids and ants, the plant is also said to repel slugs[238].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in succession from February to October. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 3 weeks[200]. The February, September and October sowings should be made in a very sheltered warm and sunny position outdoors or under some protection such as a frame. Other sowings can be made in a position that has at least some shade from the midday sun since the plant runs to seed quickly if it gets too hot or the soil is dry[238]. The seed only remains viable for about a year[238].

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

References

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Anthriscus cerefolium

Angela Thu Jul 31 2008

Are the more ornamental Anthriscus cultivars also edible?

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