Summary ³

Slender parsley-piert is a common weed in cultivated fields but often overlooked because of its small size and short growing season. The plant is usually dried and gone by mid April. It can be identified by its small size, repent stems (growing along the ground and attaching via rootlets), divided leaves, and minute flowers. Although the plant is in the rose family, it doesn't resemble any other plant in that family.

The genus name Aphanes derives from the Greek "aphan(es)" meaning "unseen, invisible," referring to the small size of the plant and its flowers. The species epithet microcarpa derives from the Greek "micr(o)" meaning "small" and "carp" meaning "a fruit," again referring to the minute flowers and fruits of the plant.
(Source: Alabama Plants)

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10362424
2. (c) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/services/media.php?env=botany&irn=10362421
3. (c) Melissa McMasters, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• World Flora Online

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