Ground Elder / Sedmolist

Description:

It is a perennial plant in the carrot family (Apiaceae). The name "ground elder" comes from the superficial similarity of its leaves and flowers to those of elder (Sambucus), which is unrelated. It is the type species of the genus Aegopodium.

Habitat:

Native to Eurasia. It grows in shady places.

Notes:

Other names: herb gerard, bishop's weed, goutweed, snow-in-the-mountain. The tender leaves have been used in antiquity and throughout the Middle Ages as a spring leaf vegetable, much as spinach was used. Young leaves are preferred as a pot herb. It is best picked from when it appears (as early as February in the UK) to just before it flowers (May to June). If it is picked after this point, it takes on a pungent taste and has a laxative effect. However, it can be stopped from flowering by pinching out the flowers, ensuring the plant remains edible if used more sparingly as a pot herb.