Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Anethum graveolens

Edible: Leaves, Seeds, Fruit, Herb, Spice, Vegetable

A fine leafy herb up to about 1 m tall. It can spread 50 cm across. It is an annual plant regrowing each year from seeds. The root is long and wiry. The stems of the plant are smooth, dark green and with pale stripes. They are finely grooved and hollow. The leaves are bluish-green and like a feather. They can be 35 cm long. The leaves are twice divided and have a sheath wrapping around the stem at the base. The small leaflets are like threads. Flowers are yellow and in flat compound arrangements where flowers are on stalks coming from one point. These flower arrangements can be 9 cm across. The fruit are oval one seeded dry ribbed fruits. Plants have an aniseed scent. The fruit are 1.5 times as long as wide. There are several named cultivars.

It is a temperate plant. It is suited to shady places but does best in sunny positions. It is easily damaged by wind. It is frost resistant but drought tender. It needs moist, well drained, humus rich soil. In hot weather it produces flowers quickly. It is best with temperatures of 16-18°C. A pH of 5.6-6.5 is best. It grows below 1,900 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 8-10. In Sichuan.

Common Names: Dill, Adas china, Adas manis, Adas sowa, Anis aleman, Anithi, Baqdonis, Besbes arbi, Dercotu, Dereotu, Ender, Enduro, Eneldo, Koperek, Krapai, Krapus, Krop, Lubicha, Masala, Navadni koper, Phak chee lao, Phak si, Satapashpi, Shepi, Sowa arxa, Soya, Suwa, Tereotu, Ukrop, Yabani dere otu, Zanrkay

Synonyms: 

Anethum sowa Roxb.;
Angelica graveolens (L.) Steud.;
Peucedanum graveolens (L.) Hiern.;
Peucedanum sowa Kurz.;
and others