Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-612
Sweet Cicely
Myrrhis odorata
Sweet cicely is a long-lived perennial that yields three edible parts from one clump with no resowing: fern-like leaves tasting of aniseed - the classic way to sweeten sour cooked fruit without sugar - a taproot cooked as a vegetable, and green seed chewed as a mouth freshener. Bees, flies and beetles work its flowers, and the leaves and seed can be rubbed onto wood for a fragrant polish. It is a cool-climate, shade-tolerant plant that declines once summer heat piles up, wanting moist, rich soil and full sun to semi-shade rather than blazing sun. It self-sows freely once established, so a stand renews itself without effort - though fresh seed must be sown as soon as it ripens, since stored seed germinates poorly.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun · Shade
- USDA zone
- USDA 5–9
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moist
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 6–7.8
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 2–4 ft
- Mature spread
- 2–4 ft
- Plant spacing
- 18–24 in
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
Similar plants
Discover more plants with shared forest layers or growing conditions.
African Eggplant
Solanum aethiopicum
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Agrimony
Agrimonia eupatoria
Agrimony is a slender herbaceous perennial of sunny, disturbed ground across Europe and western Asia, grown mainly for the tannin-rich leaves…
Herbaceous · USDA 5–9
Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
Alfalfa is a deep-rooted perennial legume grown worldwide as one of the richest forage crops available, its taproot running six metres or…
Herbaceous · USDA 4–11
Amaranth Greens
Amaranthus tricolor
Amaranth greens are one of the few leafy vegetables actually built for peak summer heat rather than one that just tolerates it - sown once…
Herbaceous · USDA 2–11
Angelica
Angelica archangelica
Angelica is a very large, short-lived umbellifer grown for its candied stem and aromatic root - the thick young stalks are peeled and boiled…
Herbaceous · USDA 5–7
Anise
Pimpinella anisum
Anise is a single-season annual grown for its aromatic seed, which flavors bread, sweets and spirits like pernod and ouzo, while the young…
Herbaceous · USDA 4–9
The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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