01.
A Bit of Botany
a little botanical information about lovage
description
Lovage is an erect, herbaceous, and perennial plant of the Apiaceae family. The plant
grows to 1.8–2.5 m tall, with a basal rosette of leaves and stems with
further leaves. Topping these stems are flower clusters called umbels. Lovage flowers are yellow to greenish-yellow, 2–3 mm
diameter, produced in said globose umbels up to 10–15 cm diameter.
The stems and leaves are a shiny glabrous (meaning smooth, or free from hair) green to
yellow-green. When crushed lovage leaves produce a lime-like aroma. Lovage's larger basal leaves are up to 70 cm long,
tripinnate, with broad triangular to rhomboidal, acutely pointed leaflets
with a few marginal teeth. Whereas lovage'sstem leaves are smaller and are less divided with few leaflets.
Flowering occurs in late spring. The fruit is a dry two-parted schizocarp 4–7 mm long
that matures in the autumn.
common names & nomenclature
The name lovage is from "love-ache", ache being a medieval name for
parsley. The plant was often grown in
monasteries or in rectories presumably giving rise to the Finnish version of
the name—liperi—meaning "preacher's collar".
Also known as:
lovage, sea parsley, love root, kao ben