Kendall County (IL) Forest Preserve District
Prairie Parsley
Polytaenia nuttallii
[C-value
10]
Carrot family (Apiaceae)
Blooms mid-May - June
The native Prairie Parsley is rare in our area. It prefers full sun, medium to dry conditions, and soil containing loam or rocky material. Habitats include upland prairies, hill prairies, limestone glades, thinly wooded bluffs, and savannas. This short-lived perennial persists for 2-4 years as a low rosette of compound basal leaves, each up to 6" long and 5" across, long-stalked, and pinnately-divided into 3-9 leaflets 1"-3" long, deeply-lobed with a few sharp teeth. Eventually, the plant bolts to produce a single flowering stalk, 1½-3' tall, unbranched with a few alternate leaves similar to the basal leaves. The central stalk terminates in a few shallowly dome-shaped umbels of flowers that span 1½-3" across having 10-15 umbellets, each with 10-15 flowers on short stalks. Each flower is only about 1/8" across with 5 yellow petals with incurved tips.
Prairie Parsley at Millbrook South Forest Preserve May 28, 2017
Prairie Parsley foliage at Millbrook South Forest Preserve May 28, 2017
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