Sweet Cicely

(Osmorhiza claytoni)

 

Color Photograph: Copyright Nearctica.com, Inc.

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

 

Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii)

Identification: Flowers white, arranged in an umbel. Umbel subdivided into a number of smaller umblets. Base of umbel with a group of three leaflike bracts. Stem and leaves covered with fine, white hair, almost velvety. Stem round, thin. Leaves divided into three primary leaflets, each leaflet further subdivided or deeply toothed. Plant 1.5 to 3 feet in height.

Distribution: Southern Canada, southward to to Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia.

Habitat: Sweet Cicely is a species of wet woods.

Flowering Season: May to June.

 

Sweet Cicely (Osmorhiza claytoni)

Similar Species:

The finely hairy stem and three-part leaves as well as the early flowering season are distinctive features for Sweet Cicely. The closely related species Osmorhiza longistylus (not covered here) lacks fine hair on the stem and leaves.

Similar Species

No Similar Species