Spreading Chervil (Chaerophyllum procumbens)

I only saw one or two Spreading Chervil plants last year and these were at the roadside in front of our place. Although the leaves are quite distinctive, the plants tended to blend into their surroundings particularly when other plants grew up around it.

Sadly I lost track of them and didn’t see the seeds; I regret that because they are distinct. I haven’t seen any plants this year at all. It took some effort to identify the plant which is not in most reference sites I usually use. I finally found it in MissouriPlants.com. Of course it is also in the USDA plant data site.

An individual plant. It is quite small. Compare it with the leaves around it. And the flower buds are even smaller.

A closer view of flower buds and leaves. The leaf shape is critical to identifying the plant.

Flower buds.

The flowers in profile.

The flowers, face on.

Chaerophyllum procumbens (Spreading chervil) is native to the United States. It grows in the eastern United States and in Ontario, Canada.
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Distribution Map: United States Department of Agriculture Plants Database: Chaerophyllum procumbens (Spreading Chervil)

Identification resources:
- Missouri Plants: Chaerophyllum procumbens

Related posts:
- 2010: Year Of The Wildflower