Sweet Cicily from my own garden on top, below from the garden of Rie and NO
I have to realise, that the to me so familiar Sweet Cicily is not the normal type, because it is utterly smooth. If I look it up in the Danish Flora by E. Rostrup, I read it should be downy, just like in the garden of Rie and NO.
In old drawings you can also just notice the downy hairs
In the district where I was born, I never saw any but smooth Sweet Cicily. Now I’ve been looking around in that area again, in my brothers garden and in the garden of Merete and Ejner, only the smooth version is known. It seems the smooth version is the only known in that area, nobody have heard of a downy version. And where I’ve met the standard downy version, people have never heard of a amooth version !
How is your Sweet Cicily ??? Please let me know !
My question is, wether the smooth Sweet Cicily is a variety or a different species? Apparently there is only a single species in the family of Myrrhis, it ought to be a variety (or could I be mistaken by the family Myrrhis ?) Could it be a type imported to the monastery gardens in catholic times, and from there spread to apothecary gardens, vicarage gardens and cottage gardens ?
In the kitchen I find the smooth version more appealing, as it washes more readily.
Did you know, that Sweet Cicily is effective againt fungal infections like Candida albicans ?
June 8, 2009 at 07:17
My Sweet Cicely has hairy stems and leaves. Are the leaves of yours also smooth? It sounds like a beneficial trait, as far as washing it goes, but the hair on mine is quite soft and pleasant as well. I believe I purchased mine at the Seattle Tilth plant sale.
June 8, 2009 at 20:37
Hello Adam,
thanks for letting me know about your Sweet Cicily.
Both stem and leaves are smooth on my Sweet Cicily, can’t find any hairs there.