Anthriscus, chervil |
Flowers of the wild chervil
Fruits of the wild chervil
Basal leaves of the wild chervil
The botanical name for the garden chervil is Anthriscus cerefolium (lat. cerefolium = "waxy leaves"), which is not the case. Rather, the term derives from cherifolium or caerefolium, possibly borrowed from the Greek chairephyllon (chairein = "to rejoice" and phyllon = "leaf"), which could refer to the fragrant leaves of the garden chervil. From cherifolium presumably the word "chervil" originated.
Linnaeus in 1753 listed the chervils in various genera. The garden chervil appeared under Scandix, the cow parsley under Chaerophyllum. In 1805 Persoon describes for the first time the genus Anthriscus, but focuses too much on the bristled fruits, however, these can also be glabrous. In 1814 Hoffmann corrected the description of the genus.
The genus includes only 15 species. They can be found in the temperate latitudes of Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The chervil in its cultivated form Anthriscus cerefolium var. cerefolium is cultivated worldwide.
The plants are annual to perennial herbs with a narrow or thickened taproot. The stem is erect, branched and hollow. The leaves are 2- to 3-fold pinnate or pinnatifid. The inflorescence is a double umbel. Bracts of the umbel, the so-called involucre, is mostly missing or it only consists of 1–2 leaves.
The umbel splits into umbellules that carrying the flowers. The involucel is formed by few to several bracts that are ciliated at the margin. The calyx hasn't teeth or it is missing completely. The flowers are small and hermaphrodite, white or greenish yellow. The 5 petals are oblong to cuneate, sometimes the outer ones enlarged. The two short stylus borne on a conical, cushion-like stylopodium.
| Floral formula: |
| *–↓ K5 C5 bzw. C0 A5 G(2) inferior |
Typical of the genus is the tapered, often short but significantly differentiated beak below the stylopodium which emerge during fruit ripening. The fruits are laterally flattened and often slightly constricted in the middle between the two mericarps. They are either completely smooth or finely tuberculate with bristles. When ripe, they turn dark brown or black. Ribs are missing, at least up to the beak, oil tubes are indistinct or absent.
Historical publications
Pliny (about 23-79 AD.) wrote, at the autumnal equinox would sown together: coriander, dill, orache, malva, Lapathum (lettuce or sorrel) and Caerefolium (possibly chervil), that the Greeks would call Paederos. The latter suggests, however, that instead of chervil Acanthus mollis, the bear's breeches, is meant. However, Pliny also Enthryscum or Anthriscum is mentioned. Presumably he meant, as well as Theophrastus, Scandix australis.
The Myrrhis (cicely), some would call it Myrrha, other Konile Diosourides (1st century AD.) probably meant the sweet cicely = Myrrhis odorata. It would resemble the stems and the leaves of the hemlock. The root was elongated, delicate, round, fragrant and tastes sweet. Garden chervil was probably not known or not appreciated in ancient times by Greeks and Romans.
Hildegard of Bingen (approx. 1098–1179) wrote about "Kirbele" that it neither raw nor cooked fit to eat, it was only useful as a remedy. It would heal the "broken wounds of the bowels".
Leonhart Fuchs (1501–1566) writes about the chervil, it may helps in the kitchen, because it is useful, if it would be eaten raw or cooked. It was easy to digest and was a diuretic. It cannot bear when cooking it too long. In this way and in moderation used, it would bringing the women their "Blödigkeyt" (an old word for menstruation, related to the word blood). Since the chervil is bitter and astringent it was more of a drug than a food.
Meaning of the species names
- caucalis: similar to the carrot bur parsley (Caucalis) (refers to the fruits)
- sylvestris: lat. sylvestris = wild
Interesting notes
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The best known member of this genus is the garden chervil. It is used as a condiment for salads, soups, vegetable and herbal quark, as well as for fish and calamari. The leaves are harvested before blooming time and freshly processed.
Garden chervil has a glabrous stem, the leaves and stems are bristly, the umbels consist of only 2 to 6 rays, which are puberulent.
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The burr chervil (Anthriscus caucalis) also forms umbels with 2 to 6 rays, but they are glabrous and its fruits are covered with hooked bristles. On the midrib and on the margin the leaves are long-hairy.
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The wild type of the garden chervil is not the wild chervil, what one might suspect after the name, but the Central European Anthriscus cerefolium var. trichocarpa.