J. Hill
Parsley,Petroselinumcrispum (Mill.) Nyman ex A.W. Hill, is a member of the carrot family that is primarily grown for the leaves that are used as a colorful ingredient in various recipes and as a garnish. I use it in my gumbo, and the first time I ever saw it was as a garnish at the Liberty restaurant in Scottsboro when I was probably still a preschooler. The garnish can be eaten as a way to freshen breath. The plant is a biennial so it will survive the winter when planted outside, the leaves are best from this time until the plants bolt to bloom at which time butterflies are often attracted. The resulting caterpillars often defoliate the plants although by then the seed has matured. If the seed are left alone there are some many resulting seedling that thinning becomes necessary to produce plants of sufficient size to support a number of butterfly larva. Otherwise many plant will be stunted and may not bloom until the third year.
