Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Fuss

A short lived perennial plant. Often it grows and flowers over two years. It forms clumps and is a hairless plant. It has stems up to 50 cm long which are upright and with grooves. They branch. Several stems come from the top of the fattened taproot. It spreads to 50 cm across. The leaflets are finely divided. They are feather like and dark green. They are triangular and divided 3 times. They are divided into toothed segments about 3 cm long. They have a strong smell. The flowers are greenish white and star shaped. They occur at the ends of branches. The flowers are flat topped and up to 4 cm across. There are about 30 variations of curled parsley. Some are more tightly curled than others. Wild parsley also occurs in some temperate places. It can be cooked and eaten.

A temperate plant. It can be grown from sea level up to 2400 m altitude in the tropics. It grows best in moderately cool, shady and humid conditions. It can grow well in full sunlight but also in slight shade. Young plants can be damaged by frost. It is best with a pH of 5.0-6.0. It suits hardiness zones 7-9.

The leaves are used for flavouring. They are used in salads, sauces, stews, stuffings, and in other cooked dishes. The leaves can be dried or used fresh for tea. Parsley oil from the leaves or seeds is used in foods.

It is grown from seed and transplanted. Seeds are slow to germinate. They can be sown directly where they are to grow. Seed are collected by cutting flowers before they ripen then shaking the seeds out onto a cloth. Seed germinate in about 3-4 weeks. It is best to soak the seed in water for one day. Seedlings are transplanted and spaced at 45 cm.