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Petroselinum crispum tuberosum - (Bernh.)Crov.

Hamburg Parsley

Author	(Bernh.)Crov.	Botanical references	200
Family	Umbelliferae	Genus	Petroselinum
Synonyms	Petroselinum crispum radicosum - Baill.
Known Hazards	Parsley is said to contain the alleged 'psychotroph' myristicine[218]. Although perfectly safe to eat and nutritious in amounts that are given in recipes, parsley is toxic in excess, especially when used as an essential oil[238].
Range	A garden form of P. crispum.
Habitat	Not known in the wild.
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.6m by 0.3m.

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 semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Edible Uses: Tea.

Leaves - raw or cooked[33, 52]. Parsley is frequently used as a garnish or as a flavouring in salads and many cooked dishes, but has too strong a flavour to be eaten in quantity for most palates. The flavour of this form is inferior to the species[238]. The leaves are difficult to dry but are easily frozen[200]. Very rich in iron, parsley is also a good source of vitamins A, B and C[201]. Root - raw or cooked[16, 27, 33]. They can be grated into salads, baked or added to soups etc[183]. The root is harvested from autumn until new growth commences in the spring. It is hardy enough to be left in the ground during the winter, though can also be harvested in late autumn or early winter and stored in a cool, frost-free place, making sure that it does not dry out. Alternatively, the root can be cut into slices and then dried in a cool oven[244]. The root has a delicious flavour, intermediate between that of celery and parsley but with a nuttier flavour[37, 183]. A tea is made from the fresh or dried leaves, it is rich in vitamin C[21, 183]. An essential oil is obtained mainly from the leaves - used as a food flavouring[46].

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.

Antispasmodic; Aperient; Birthing aid; Carminative; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Expectorant; Galactogogue; Stomachic; Tonic.

Parsley is a commonly grown culinary and medicinal herb that is often used as a domestic medicine. Its prime use is as a diuretic where it is effective in ridding the body of stones and in treating jaundice, dropsy, cystitis etc[4, 238]. It should not be used by pregnant women, however, because it is used to stimulate menstrual flow and can therefore provoke a miscarriage[7, 238]. An infusion of the roots and seeds is taken after childbirth to promote lactation and help contract the uterus[238]. Parsley is also a mild laxative and is useful for treating anaemia and convalescents[244]. All parts of the plant can be used medicinally, they are antidandruff, antispasmodic, aperient, carminative, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, galactofuge, kidney, stomachic and tonic[4, 7, 9, 21, 165, 201, 238]. Caution is advised on the internal use of this herb, especially in the form of the essential oil. Excessive doses can cause liver and kidney damage, nerve inflammation and gastro-intestinal haemorrhage[238]. It should not be prescribed for pregnant women or people with kidney diseases[238]. A poultice of the leaves has been applied externally to soothe bites and stings[4, 7], it is also said to be of value in treating tumours of a cancerous nature[4]. It has been used to treat eye infections, whilst a wad of cotton soaked in the juice will relieve toothache or earache[244]. It is also said to prevent hair loss and to make freckles disappear[244]. If the leaves are kept close to the breasts of a nursing mother for a few days, the milk flow will cease[7].

Other Uses

Essential; Repellent.

A good companion plant, repelling insects from nearby plants[20, 54].

Scented Plants

Leaves: Crushed

Cultivation details

Prefers a moist well-drained soil in sun or partial shade[4, 16, 31, 37, 52, 200]. Prefers a good light soil that is not too light or acid[1], growing poorly in light acid soils[200]. A form of P. crispum (parsley) grown mainly for its enlarged edible root, the leaves can be used in all the ways that parsley is used and they are said to be hardier than parsley. Superficially similar to several poisonous species[7]. A good bee plant[18, 20]. A good companion plant, especially for growing near roses, tomatoes, carrots, chives and asparagus[18, 20, 54, 201], giving them all added vigour and protection against certain pests, especially carrot root fly and rose beetles[201].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter to early spring in situ. Germination can be slow, it helps to mark the rows by mixing a few radish seeds with the parsley seed[33]. Germination time can be reduced by pre-soaking the seed for 12 hours in hot water that is allowed to cool quickly, but be careful not to overdo the heat and cook the seed.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[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.

[16] Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0
A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

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

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[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.

[31] Brown. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland. 0

[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[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.

[54] Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977 ISBN 0-584-10141-4
Interesting reading.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[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.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[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.

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.

Petroselinum crispum tuberosum

Melvyn Smith Tue Dec 29 2009

First class. All the info I needed to grow for the first time. Thanks.

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