Aromatic Herb for March; Spring Herb: Cicely {Myrrhis odorata}

Also, Known As:

• Anise Fern
• British Myrrh
• Cicely
• Cow Chervil
• Garden Myrrh
• Shepherd’s Needle
• Smooth Cicely
• Sweet Bracken
• Sweet Chervil
• Sweet Cicely
• Sweet Myrrh

The plant called the sweet cicely is a hardy and robust herb. The cicely is an aromatic perennial herb indigenous to the mountainous areas of Europe and Asian Russia – growing originally only in these regions. The cicely when fully mature can reach 0.6 to 0.9 m or 2 to 3 feet in height. Sweet cicely is one of the first herbs that come up when spring arrives; the sweet cicely is a pretty plant and makes a beautiful backdrop to a perennial border in mountainous regions where it grows.

In older times, people would usually grow this old cottage garden perennial at a site near the door to the kitchen. The site would be chosen so that the pretty divided fern-like leaves could be easily…