Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne\'s Lace torrent

Book DescriptionParsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne’s Lace is the gardener’s introduction to one of the most distinctive families of the plant kingdom— the Umbelliferae, commonly known as umbels. It is the particular arrangement of flowers that distinguishes umbels, but in spite of this basic similarity the hundreds of genera and thousands of species of the family display a rich variety of forms and are put to many uses. Umbel-bearing plants have aromatic oils in their foliage and fruits, and many are used as herbs, spices, and foods—anise, caraway, carrot, celery, coriander, cumin, dill, lovage, and of course, parsley and fennel, to name a few. Many umbels are valued additions to the ornamental garden, too. For example, Miss Willmott’s ghost, Eryngium giganteum, is a strikingly architectural perennial—and one with a fascinating history, as its common name suggests. Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne’s Lace is for anyone interested in herbs, whether for their culinary value or as ornamentals.