Upright hedge parsley, better known in the U.S. as Japanese hedge parsley, is a carrot-family plant from Europe and Asia that has become an invasive weed in parts of the country. It has flat clusters of tiny white flowers, and its small burs covered in hooked bristles cling to clothing and animal fur, which helps it spread.
Appearance
- Appearance
- In the U.S., an upright, branching plant usually 2–4 ft (60–120 cm) tall, sometimes taller.
- Leaves
- Alternate, fernlike leaves up to 5 in (13 cm) long. Upper leaves are smaller and less finely cut.
- Flowers
- Tiny white five-petaled flowers, about ⅛ in (3 mm) across, in flat clusters 1½–2 in (4–5 cm) wide. Two or more very narrow sit at the base of each cluster, which helps with identification.
- Flowering time
- June to August in the Upper Midwest.
- Fruit
- Oval fruits about ⅛ in (3 mm) long, covered in hooked bristles.
Look-alikes
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Roadsides
- Woodland edges
- Trails
- Disturbed ground
- Range
- Native to Europe and Asia, including Japan. In North America it shows up in southern Canada, the Midwest, the East, the South, and Oregon. It had reached North America by 1917.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows in full sun to part shade and prefers moist soil, but takes hold almost anywhere the ground is disturbed. From roadsides and edges it can spread into prairies, savannas, and woods.
- Flowering
Flowers Jun–Aug
Flowers Jun–Aug
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Usually a in the U.S., flowering in its second year.
- Seed dispersal
- The hooked burs stick to animals, shoes, and clothing, which carries the seeds to new places.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
- Status
- Treated as an aggressive invasive plant in the Midwest and East; some states, such as Wisconsin, list it as prohibited or restricted.
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