Myrrhis

Sweet cicely in the only species in the genus Myrrhis. Feathery, fern-like foliage, with umbels of small white flowers in summer.

Brought into cultivation in this country more than 400 years ago, sweet cicely is now fully established in the wild, especially by streamsides in the northern half of Britain and Ireland. As with all umbellifers, the heads of numerous small flowers provide a huge resource of nectar and pollen for a wide range of insects from tiny pollen-beetles to large hoverflies.