Sison amomum

Sison amomum is one of several species in the genus of Sison, along with Sison exaltatum, Sison segetum, and north Africa. They were first described by Carl Linnaeus, in his book Species Plantarum, originally published on 1 May 1753, which listed every plant species known at the time, classified into genera. The plant was known about before being formally described, it is mentioned by the name stone parsley in the 1684 book ''Aristotle's Masterpiece, which claims it is useful for "cleansing the womb''", suggesting it may have been used as an abortifacient. ==Name and synonyms==

with the plant by John Curtis from his book British Entomology published between 1824 and 1840, he refers to the plant species as Sison amomum and Bastard Stone Parsley The species’ binomial name is Sison amomum, its common name is stone parsley. Seseli, a different plant genus of around 140 species, also in the Apiacaea family, is sometimes referred to by the name stone parsley too. Synonyms The plant has many synonyms, including, Apium amomum, Sium aromaticum, Carum amomum, Cicuta amomum, Pimpinella gracilis catalaunica, Reutera albiflora, Reutera gracilis catalaunica, Seseli amomum, Sison amomum catalaunicum, Sison aromaticum, Sison erectum, Sison heterophyllum, and Sium amomum. Homotypic synonyms that have been used to describe the species include Cicuta amomum by Heinrich Johann Nepomuk von Crantz in Classis cruciformium emendata cum figuris aeneis in necessarium instit. rei herbariae supplementum in 1767, Seseli amomum by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in Flora Carniolica in 1771, Sium amomum by Albrecht Wilhelm Roth in Tentamen florae germanicae in 1789, Apium amomum by Jonathan Stokes in A Botanical Materia Medica in 1812, and Carum amomum by Boris Kozo-Polyansky in New principle of biology. Essay on the Theory of Symbiogenesis, Moscow in 1915. Heterotypic synonyms that have been used to describe stone parsley include Sium aromaticum by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in Flore françoise, ou, Description succincte de toutes les plantes qui croissent naturellement en France in 1779, Sison erectum by Richard Anthony Salisbury in Prodromus stirpium in horto ad Chapel Allerton vigentium in 1796, Sison heterophyllum by Conrad Moench in Methodus plantas horti botanici et agri Marburgensis: a staminum situ describendi in 1794, Reutera gracilis var. catalaunica by Emanuel Mendes da Costa in 1864 and 1874, Reutera albiflora by Emanuel Mendes da Costa in 1877, Sison amomus by Jean Baptiste Saint-Lager in 1880, Apium catalaunicum by Albert Thellung and Vittorio Calestani in ''Contributo alla sistematica della Ombrellifere D'Europa, Webbia in 1905 and Sison amomum var. catalaunicum'' Gustav Hegi in 1926. Name in other languages In addition to stone parsley in English, Sison amomum has several different common names or alternative names in many other European languages, from regions were the species is native, several of them refer to the plant's odour. ==Description==

Sison amomum is an erect hairless plant, its stem is solid with fine ridges, The species can grow up to in height, File:Sison amomum stem (05).jpg|plant stem File:Sison amomum fruit (01).jpg|fruit File:Sison amomum plant (06).jpg|full size Flowers Stone parsley has tiny white flowers, usually in size, sometimes up in size, with a green patch in the centre. The flowers grow on long stalks of different lengths, in umbels of between three and six smooth rays, which can grow up to , or sometimes wide. The flowers usually have five petals, which are notched, and irregular in shape, five stamen, and two short styles, but do not grow sepals. File:Sison amomum flower (01).jpg File:Sison amomum flower (02).jpg|flowers File:Sison amomum flower (03).jpg Leaves The plant has pinnate leaves arranged in five to nine pairs of rectangular toothed leaflets, which are often lobed, lanceolate toward the end, and are hairless on widely branched stems. The leaves nearer the bottom of the plant are usually larger than those near the top and can grow from to in length, and are imparipinnate. When they wither the leaves can turn from green to purple before they fall off. The smaller leaflets nearer the top of the plant are attached by short petiole, and are oval to lanceolate and serrate, having teeth with forward curving points. The species has short linear bracts, usually between two and four which emerge from below the umbels, and up to four bracteole. File:Sison amomum leaf (08).jpg File:Sison amomum leaf (03).jpg|leaves File:Sison amomum plant (04).jpg ==Distribution and habitat==

Stone parsley is found in rough grassland, grassy banks, road verges, beside railways, by hedgerows and hedge banks, on pathways, and on waste ground and disturbed ground, often on heavy soil, Sison Amomum also grows on the island of Great Britain, Historic range and spread In the early seventeenth century stone parsley was only recorded in a region of Southern France near the Mediterranean Sea and the Spanish border, by the early eighteenth century it was recorded around the area of Paris, then by the late eighteenth century, it appeared in mid and southern France, in Wales and Northern England. By the mid nineteenth century the plant was detected in greater numbers across much of France and Britain, including Cornwall, and had also had a small presence in Spain, Belgium and Corsica. by the beginning of the twentieth century it had a substantial presence in Italy and a small foothold in Germany, Romania and Sardinia, then by 1950 a small population appeared in Sicily, and the species was also recorded on the other side of the globe on the North Island of New Zealand. By the early twenty-first century the species was recorded as being much more widespread across Britain, France, and New Zealand, increased numbers in Spain Italy, and Sardinia, and had spread to Switzerland, New Zealand's South Island, the Caucasus region near the Black Sea and small numbers in Norway. ==Parasites==

The larva of some insects are parasites to the stone parsley. Moths which feed on Sison amomum whilst in the larval stage include, Depressaria daucella, Cnephasia incertana, and Epermenia chaerophyllella, the larva of the fly Phytomyza chaerophylli are also parasites of the plant. These insect species are all leaf miner parasites to stone parsley except the Cnephasia incertana moth larva which are hidden parasites, and these insect species can all feed on a range of plants, not just the stone parsley alone. ==External links and further reading==

• Sison amomum at Open Tree of Life • Sison amomum at Plants of the World Online • Sison amomum British distribution map at Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland • Sison amomum L. at tropicos.org • Sison amomum L. at Global Biodiversity Information Facility • Sison amomum(SSOAM) at European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization • Sison amomum L. at Encyclopedia of Life • Stone parsley at www.naturespot.org.uk • Stone parsley at www.seasonalwildflowers.com • Stone parsley at wildflowerfinder.org.uk • Sison amomum at www.uksouthwest.net • Sison amomum L. at www.worldfloraonline.org/ • Sison amomum L. at africanplantdatabase.ch/en • Sison amomum L. at New Zealand Organisms Register • Sison amomum, stone parsley at Plant Parasites of Europe • Sison amomum at bibdigital.rjb.csic.es (French) ==References==