General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Partial Shade to Full Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 4a -34.4 °C (-30 °F) to -31.7 °C (-25 °F)
Plant Height: 2-3 feet
Plant Spread: 2 feet
Leaves: Deciduous
Fragrant
Fruit: Other: Long bristly seeds (schizocarps) that can stick to hair, clothing, or fur
Fruiting Time: Summer
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: White
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late spring or early summer
Underground structures: Taproot
Uses: Will Naturalize
Edible Parts: Stem
Leaves
Roots
Seeds or Nuts
Flowers
Eating Methods: Tea
Culinary Herb/Spice
Raw
Cooked
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Propagation: Seeds: Self fertile
Stratify seeds: 2 months cold moist treatment
Suitable for wintersowing
Sow in situ
Pollinators: Moths and Butterflies
Flies
Bees

Image
Common names
  • Aniseroot
  • Sweet Cicely
  • Wild Anise
  • Sweet Jarvil
  • Wild Licorice
  • Sweet-Cicely
  • Longstyle Sweetroot
  • Anise Root
  • Anise
  • Sweet Anise
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Osmorhiza longistylis
  • Synonym: Osmorhiza aristata var. longistylis

Photo Gallery
Location: Keystone State Park, PA
Date: May 2019

Credit NPS
Location: Keystone State Park, PA
Date: May 2019
Location: Lucketts, Loudoun County, Virginia
Date: 2015-05-15
Location: Lucketts, Loudoun County, Virginia
Date: 2011-04-24
Comments:
  • Posted by Cyclaminist (Minneapolis, Minnesota - Zone 5a) on Apr 29, 2016 6:43 PM concerning plant:
    I bought seeds this year, since I'm eager to grow a native shade plant that's edible. It's also mentioned, along with sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii), in Heather Holm's Pollinators on Native Plants as a good plant for feeding bees, flies, and moths. The seeds are long and have spines that attach to fur or clothes, allowing them to be spread by animals or people.
  • Posted by mellielong (Lutz, Florida - Zone 9b) on Apr 10, 2015 6:15 PM concerning plant:
    "How to Know the Wildflowers" (1922) by Mrs. William Starr Dana refers to this plant by the common name Sweet Cicely. The author notes that it is one the earliest flowering of the white parsleys. Its roots are prized by country children for their flavor. However, she warns the reader not to confuse this plant with the very poisonous Water-Hemlock which it greatly resembles. According to her, Sweet Cicely blooms earlier in the year than the poisonous Water-Hemlock.

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