General: Stout, short-lived perennial or biennial herb from a taproot, with a strong anise odor; stems erect, often branched above, 1-2 m tall.
Leaves: Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves glabrous and glaucous, pinnately dissected into small, threadlike ultimate segments, without well-defined leaflets; leaf stalks often sheathing, the blades 30-40 cm long.
Flowers: Inflorescence of compound umbrella-like clusters; flowers small, yellow; spokes unequal in length.
Fruits: Oblong, not strongly flattened, 3.5-4 mm long, ribs not winged.
Mesic to dry roadsides, fields and waste places in the lowland zone; rare in SW BC, known from SE Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Vancouver; introduced from Europe.
