Seasonal Wild Flowers

Parsley Water-Dropwort

Latin name

Oenanthe lachenalii

Family

Apiaceae

Flowering season

July to September

English distribution

It is found all round the coast except for parts of the Northeast.

Inland it is thinly scattered.

For a map see the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland

– Parsley Water-Dropwort

Habitat

In coastal areas it grows in brackish grassy habitats such as the

upper zones of saltmarshes, estuarine marshes, dykes and tidal

reaches of rivers.

Inland, it is found in base-rich marshes and fens.

Description

Parsley Water-Dropwort is a native, perennial herb growing up to 1m.

The umbels have betwen 5 and 9 rays and up to 5 lanceolate bracts.

The flowers are white and the 5 petals are notched with an inflexed point.

Inner flowers are symetrical and outer flowers have unequal petals.

The flowers may be unisexual or hermaphrodite and are protandrous.

There are 5 stamens and 2 linear styles.

The partial umbels have long pedicellate male flowers on the outside.

There are 5 persistent triangular sepals.

Partial umbels have up to 7 lanceolate bracteoles.

The fruits are obovoid (not compressed) and up to 2.5mm.

The leaves are pinnate with the lower ones withering (not shown).

The leaves are linear.

Stems are solid and ridged.

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Parsley Water-Dropwort at the edge of a brackish

pond, Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve, Devon

Umbel

Partial umbel with long-pedicelled male flowers

round the outside

Partial umbel - inner flowers with same sized petals

- outer flowers with unequal petals.

Petals notched and with inflexed points

Close-up of outer flowers, calyx with triangular sepals

Umbel from below - bracts and bracteoles

Partial umbel from below - bracteoles and sepals

Bracts

Fruiting umbel

Fruiting partial umbel

Fruits with styles attached

Close-up of fruit with remains of sepals and styles

Linear upper leaves and ridged stem

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