Cryptotaenia canadensis, Canadian Honewort

This North American relative to Japanese Mitsuba shares their cousin’s edible nature, with the advantage of being reliably perennial in Ontario gardens.

Happiest in dappled shade with sufficient moisture, these would thrive at the edge of a woodland or on the east side of a building. They would be particularly happy near a downspout, especially if you were hoping for nice tender shoots and leaves to add to salads.

Airy umbels of white flowers appear in June, followed by edible seeds in the mid to late summer.

Growing to 24” to 36” tall and 12” to 18” wide, these aren’t prone to wandering and will only self seed lightly if left to their own devices. Easy to start from seed if you collect and care for them though.

The parent plants of these seedlings came from the Fletcher Wildlife Garden native plant sale a few year ago.