Scientific Name:
Levisticum officinale
Pronunciation:
lev-IS-tee-kum oh-fiss-ih-NAH-lee
Common Name:
lovage, garden lovage
Family Name:
Apiaceae
Plant Type:
Herbaceous perennial
Key ID Features:
Stems hollow, fine striations, flushed purple-pink at base; leaves large, 2-3x pinnately compound, upper leaves trifoliate (celery-like in looks and flavour), leaflet or pinna outline card-diamond shaped, 7-10cm long x 3-5cm wide, each with 2 or 3 toothed lobes; florets 2-3mm wide, yellowish on compound umbels 3-12cm wide, with 12-20 rays.
Habit:
Stiffly upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Africa, Europe (eastern Mediterranean)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 4: (-34 to -29 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Container planting, Herb, Medicinal plant, Urban agriculture
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate, Basal
Texture/Venation:
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Trifoliate (ternate)
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green, Emerge bronze
Colour in Fall:
Green-yellow
Shapes:
Obovate, Rhomboidal
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Dentate
Additional Info:
Rhombic leaflets, strongly scented of celery; hollow petiole, stem
Inflorescence Type:
Umbel, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Green-yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul
Additional Info:
Compound umbels
Fruit Type:
Achene, Schizocarp
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep
Bark or Stem Colour:
Organ Modifications:
Rhizomes, Rhizome short, 4-5cm thick
Propagation:
Division - below ground parts
Pest Susceptibility:
Caterpillar or cutworm, Fungal leaf spot, Heteroptera - true bugs, Leaf miner insect (Deer resistant)
