Hedgeparsley
Torilis arvensis

Other common names: spreading hedgeparsley
Plant family: Carrot family, Umbelliferae
Legal Status: Class B Noxious Weed
Year listed: Listed as a Class A in 1988 or earlier; changed to a Class B in 1993.
Native to: Mediterranean areas of Africa, Asia, and Europe

What does it look like?
Hedgeparsley reaches a height of five feet and is sparsely branched.	Each leaf of hedgeparsley is 2-3 times pinnately divided.
Hedgeparsley is often found along roadsides and in waste areas. The patch above was growing in a partially shaded area in Thurston County.	Stem hairs are retrorse, meaning that they point downward, small, and stiff, giving the plant a rough texture.
Umbel is about 3-4 cm in diameter, and individual flowers are less than 3 mm across. The flowers of wild chervil are slightly larger, with a diameter of 3-4 mm. Image courtesy Rick Johnson, Thurston County Noxious Weed Control Coordinator.	Hedgeparsley fruits are spiny, ovoid, and about 3 mm in length. While the fruit itself is greenish, the spines are purplish. Image from 1,000 Weeds of North America, copyright of XID Service, Inc and used with permission.
Both dorsal (above) and ventral (right) surfaces of hedgeparlsey leaflets may be covered with  straight, stiff hairs.
Hedgeparsley looks similar some other members of the wild carrot family, such as wild chervil, Anthriscus sylvestris:
Stem node of wild chervil (left) with fringe of soft hairs and visible furrows and of hedgeparsley (right). Note: pictures are not displayed to scale.	Stem of wild chervil, Anthriscus sylvestris. Note the prominent furrows and the covering of softer hairs.
Wild chervil leaves can be glabrous such as this one, or there may be some hairs on the ventral surface.	Wild chervil fruits are more elongate than those of hedgeparsley and are about 6 mm in length. More notably, they lack spines. When mature, the fruits are dark brown or black.

 Last updated March 31, 2007