Myrrhis
(the old Greek name used by Dioscorides, probably from myrrha, myrrh; in allusion to the scent of the plants). Sweet Cicely or Myrrh. ORD. Umbelliferae. A genus comprising only a couple of species of hairy, hardy, perennial herbs, with the habit of Chaerophyllum; one is an inhabitant of the mountains of Europe and the Caucasus region, and the other is North American. Flowers white, polygamous; petals cuneate, obovate, or oblong; umbels compound; involucres one, two, or many-bracteate. Leaves pinnately-decompound; segments pinnatifid or toothed. The only species worth notice is the native M. odorata. This is a very graceful-looking plant, and is suitable for naturalising in many situations, such as in wild gardens and semi-wild spots generally. It thrives in almost any soil, and may be propagated by divisions or by seeds.
M. odorata (sweet-scented).* fl. white, in terminal compound umbels; involucels of many lanceolate ciliated leaves. May. fr. nearly 1in. long, with five very prominent ribs, usually clothed with minute stiff hairs. l. ternately decompound; leaflets pinnatifid. h. 2ft. to 3ft. Britain, France, eastward to Caucasus. Once cultivated as a pot-herb, and still used in salads in Italy. (Sy. En. B. 626.)