134 



Salad Crops 



plain-leaved is as good. Parsley fruits and seedlings are 

 shown in the figures (Figs. 55, 56). 



55. Seeds (fruits) ol 

 parsley (X 4). 



56. Parsley seeflllngs (X %)■ 



Parsley is one of the Umbelliferse, Petroselinum hortense, 

 Hoffin. Gen. Uinb. 163. 1814, known also as Apium, Petrose- 

 linum, Linn. Sp. PI. 264, and Petroselinum sativum, HofEm. 

 Gen. Umb. 177. It is native in the Mediterranean region, 

 but Is sometimes escaped in this country : glabrous biennial 

 or short-lived perennial, making many radical leaves which 

 are prized in cookery and for garnishing : stem 18 to 30 in. 

 high, much branched : leaves ternately decompound, the ulti- 

 mate leaflets wedge-ovate, deeply cut and petioled : flowers 

 small, greenish yellow, in compound umbels: fruit ("seed") 

 one of the two separated carpels, oblong-convex with one style 

 curving backward from the top like a little hook (often broken 

 in commercial seeds), ribbed on each edge, 3-ribbed on the 

 back, about i^ in. long and weighing 1 to 2 mg. ; vitality 3 

 years. Var. crispum (P. sativum vai'. crispum, DC, Prodr. iv, 

 102. 1830) has leaves cut, curled and crisped. In the Moss- 

 curled parsley the leaves are very finely divided and somewhat 

 bunched. Var. radicosum (P. sativum var. radicosum, Alef. 

 Landw. Fl. 153. 1866) is the turnip-rooted parsley, grown for the 

 thick parsnip-like tapering root. 



SALAD CHERVIL 

 The salad chervil is an annual plant much like parsley, 

 popular in Europe, but little known in this country. Tt 

 is used for garnishing and seasoning, for which the curled- 

 leafed variety is the most prized (Figs. 57 and 58). 



