The European species is Myrrhis adorata. Common names are great chervil, sweet fern, sweet bracken, or anise fern. The attractive fern-like leaves of sweet cicely are among the first to appear in spring and depart in autumn. The soft green leaves have a myrrh-like scent and undertones of moss and woodland and a hint of aniseed.
The perennial grows to about 1-2 feet with a hollow stem.
Harvest: Pick young leaves anytime. Collect unripe seed when pods are green. Collect ripe seeds when dark brown. Dig up roots in autumn. Sweet cicely can be used to make a scented wood finish. The sweet cicely essential oil does have some anti-fungal properties.
