Marsh Parsley

Cyclospermum leptophyllum

Marsh Parsley, Cyclospermum leptophyllum, growing in Maricopa Co., Arizona. Photo © by Michael Plagens

A weed in urban turf grass, Glendale, Arizona. April 2014

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ANNUAL: A long-lived annual with a long tap-rooted and usually less than 30cm tall.

LEAVES: Leaves are compoundly divided with linear ultimate segments.

RANGE: Found across the southern half of the United States and also in tropical and subtropical areas world wide. An introduced weed in the Sonoran Desert found mostly in irrigated, wet soil.

FRUIT: The paired seeds appear nearly spherical with vertical ribs..

FLOWERS: Very small white flowers are borne in few-flowered umbels.

UNARMED

House Finches and House Sparrows will forage a few seeds of these plants at a time. The terpene compounds - the same chemicals that impart the strong carrot aroma - probably limit how much seed they can take at one time.

House Finch House Sparrow

Apiaceae -- Carrot Family

More Information:


Sonoran Desert Field Guide
Sonoran Desert Places
Sonoran Desert Naturalist Home Page


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Copyright Michael J. Plagens, page created 6 July 2014,
updated 26 May 2015.