GROUND ELDER
Aegopodium Podograria
Carrot [Apiaceae] 
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Carrot [Apiaceae]
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flower
morph
petals
type
type
stem
stem
ribbed
| 26th June 2011, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Adlington, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| A medium sized umbellifer with rounded umbels, half as tall as the ones behind it. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Along an old mineral line, in semi-shade. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Typical growth pattern: the undercover leaves advancing; the flower stalks behind. |
| 22nd June 2007, Old Clough Lane, East Lancs Rd, Walkden. | Photo: © RWD |
| Happily grows at the advancing edge of an infestation of Japanese Knotweed (larger leaves in background). Nothing, of course, can grow underneath Japanese Knotweed. |
| 26th June 2011, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Adlington, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| Flowers not yet fully un-furled. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Un-opened flowers resemble PP9 battery terminals. |
| 26th June 2011, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Adlington, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| Petals still to un-fold properly. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The half-domed umbel, a simple double fractal. Stems round, but ridged. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| White five-petalled flowers. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| With five long purple-tipped stamens. At the centre of each flower is a white fused double-globed 'blob'. The individual petals are heart-shaped, with both a folded kink and a notch top dead centre. |
| 22nd June 2009, Cartmell, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Remarkably bi-symmetric flowers have two fused semi-transparent white spheres, from one of which emerges two white petals, whilst the other bears three white petals. |
| 26th June 2011, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Adlington, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| The umbel of fruits, showing the double-umbel construction. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| After the petals have dropped off, the seed casings remain. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Below the two remaining stamens dwell the (now greenish) fused double-globes with the double-barrelled ribbed seed casings immediately below. |
| 26th June 2011, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Adlington, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| Each fruit is 'double-barrelled'. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The trefoil leaves are variously in single triplets or three triplets, broad lanceolate and irregularly toothed. |
| 27th June 2009, Blackleach Country Pk, Walkden, Gtr Mcr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The leaves blanket out light. Note the fallen stamens on the leaves. |
| 26th June 2011, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Adlington, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
| Each fruit is 'double-barrelled'. |
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Some similarities to : Many other umbellifers.
No relation to : An umbellifer. The gardeners bane; if ever Ground Elder gets a hold in any garden, the gardener will never get rid of it, for it is a really tenacious and aggressively invasive weed. Even replacing it with Japanese Knotweed will not rid the garden of it (nor of the knotweed!). It is said that the roots can extend downwards by up to 30 feet, which somewhat explains its persistence.
Ground Elder, like many Umbellifers, contains some polyacetylenes; in the case of Ground Elder these are Falcarinol, Falcarindiol and a third un-named. ANY TEXT GOES HERE |
 Aegopodium |
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Carrot [Apiaceae]
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The flowers of Ground Elder contain the highest concentration of falcarindiol, up to 9% by weight. Falcarindiol has been shown to possess anti-cancer activity and also inhibits the germination of fungal spores, a property the plant may find useful. Another polyacetylenic compound,