Quite possibly an under utilised genus in British gardens, with over 150 species spread across Europe, Asia & Africa, but only a few available for cultivation. Related to cow parsley, with often ferny-like foliage, above which hovers clusters of small white, pink flowers. Creates an airy effect, ideally in part shade, or will take more sun with a more moisture-retentive soil.
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. Plants are also eaten by the larvae of a rare micromoth Depressaria pimpinellae in parts of south-central England.