Israel wildflowers: corn parsley

Ridolfia segetum, Carum ridolfia, Corn parsley, False fennel, False caraway, Goldspray,

Hebrew: נירית הקמה

Scientific name:   Ridolfia segetum (L.) Moris
Synonym name:   Carum ridolfia Benth. & Hook.
Common name:   Corn parsley, False fennel, False caraway, Goldspray
Hebrew name:   נירית הקמה
Plant Family:   Umbelliferae (Apiaceae), סוככיים


Life form:   Annual
Leaves:   Alternate, rosette, dissected
Flowers:   Yellow
Flowering Period:   April, May, June
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:   Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Shrub-steppes, Deserts and extreme deserts
Chorotype:   Mediterranean
Summer shedding:   Ephemeral


Derivation of the botanical name:

segetum, of the corn field(s).

carum, from Caria, district in Asia Minor where it was much grown; Caraway.
The Hebrew name: נירית, nirit, formed from ניר, nir (fallow ground) with suffix ית, it.

  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Moris is used to indicate Giuseppe Giacinto Moris (1796 – 1869), an Italian botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Benth. is used to indicate George Bentham (1800 – 1884), an English botanist.
  • The standard author abbreviation Hook. is used to indicate William Jackson Hooker (1785 – 1865), an English systematic botanist and organiser.

Ridolfia segetum is a frequent umbelliferous weed in sunflower crops in the Mediterranean basin.