Southern chervil

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Southern chervil habit

Southern chervil leaves

Southern chervil habit

Southern chervil

Southern chervil leaves

Southern chervil leaves

Southern chervil inflorescence and flowers

Southern chervil inflorescence

Morphology

Stem

Erect, moderately to densely retrorsely pubescent, sometimes becoming glabrescent, not purple-spotted.

Leaves

Basal and cauline, alternate. Basal leaves petiolate; blade 2-3-pinnately or 2-3-ternately compound, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate in outline. Cauline leaves gradually reduced distally on stem; petiole present or absent; blade 1-3-pinnately or 1-3-ternately compound. Leaf blades .8 to 4 inches long, .6 to 2.2 inches wide, surfaces glabrous or sparsely to moderately pubescent abaxially; leaflets .28 to .8 inch long, .2 to .6 inch wide, ultimate segments usually linear, less frequently oblong or elliptic, .04 to .24 inch long, .04 to .12 inch wide.

Inflorescence

Terminal and axillary, compound umbels; peduncles present; involucral bracts absent; rays 1-5, unequal; bractlets 4-6, oblanceolate to elliptic, subtending umbellets and forming involucel; pedicels clavate in fruit.

Flower

2-15 flowers per umbellet; calyx lobes absent; petals 5, white, .02 to .04 inch, obovate; stamens 5, filaments distinct; pistil 1, 2-carpellate; ovary inferior, 2-locular, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent; styles 2, often swollen at base; stigmas 2.

Fruit

Schizocarps, lanceoloid, broadest proximal to middle, .16 to .32 inch, usually glabrous, splitting at maturity into two mericarps; mericarps brown to dark brown, with 5 longitudinal ribs, ribs wider than spaces between ribs, oil tubes conspicuous in spaces between ribs. Seeds 1 per mericarp.

Ecology

Habitat

Tallgrass prairies, roadsides, pastures, open disturbed sites; usually on rocky limestone soils.

Distribution

East 1/2 of Kansas

Additional Notes