Flowering for the first time this year is one of our favorite umbellifers (carrot family), Molopospermum peleponnesiacum. We grow this for the fernlike foliage, so flower stalks are just an add-on. Molopospermum is a monotypic genus, meaning there is only a single species, which in this case hails from the Alps (France, Italy), and Pyrenees Mountains (Spain). The genus name, Molopospermum means “bruised seed”, which refers to the ridges on the seed coat. When Linneaus published the species name in the 1700s, he mistakenly thought it was from Greece, hence the specific epithet, peleponnesiacum was used in error.
Not only is it incredibly ornamental, but young leaves are eaten in salads, although it’s reportedly similar to cilantro…you love it or hate it. We weren’t sure it would survive for us, but ours had grow well in a dry site with morning sun and afternoon open shade. If our plant sets viable seed, we’ll try it in more places.
