Aegopodium podagraria, commonly called ground elder, is a species of flowering plant in the carrot family Apiaceae that grows in shady places. The name "ground elder" comes from the superficial similarity of its leaves and flowers to those of elder (Sambucus), which is not closely related. Other common names include herb gerard, bishop's weed, goutweed, gout wort, snow-in-the-mountain, English masterwort and wild masterwort.
Description
This herbaceous perennial grows to a height of from underground rhizomes. The stems are erect, hollow, and grooved. The upper leaves are ternate, broad and toothed. It flowers in spring and early summer. Numerous flowers are grouped together in an umbrella-shaped flowerhead known as a compound umbel. This is divided into several individual umbels (known as umbellets). Each umbellet has 15 to 20 rays (pedicels) that are each topped with a single, small, five-petaled white flower.
The fruits, produced in late summer and autumn, are small and have long curved styles.
Distribution and habitat
Aegopodium podagraria is distributed widely in the temperate zone of western Asia and the whole of mainland Europe. Because of this it has been described as a nuisance species, and been labelled one of the "worst" garden weeds in perennial flower gardens. It can pose an ecological threat owing to its invasive nature, with potential to crowd out native species. Hand pulling, raking, and digging followed by monitoring to control goutweed may be effective; however, caution must be taken to remove the entire rhizome and root system. Removing flowers before seed set may help control the spread of goutweed. Because goutweed's starch reserves are typically depleted by spring, removal of leaves in spring could be effective in starving the plant. Once goutweed has been removed, the patch should be carefully monitored periodically for a few years. New shoots should be dug up and destroyed. Revegetation with other plant materials is recommended.
Systemic herbicides such as glyphosate are recommended because A. podagraria will regrow if merely defoliated.
Uses
The tender leaves can be utilized as a spring leaf vegetable akin to spinach,
It has been used as a medicinal herb to treat gout and arthritis.
The plant is said to have been introduced into Great Britain by the Romans as a food plant and into Northern Europe as a medicinal herb by monks. It is still found growing in patches surrounding many monastic ruins in Europe, and descriptions of its use are found among monastic writings, such as in Physica by Hildegard von Bingen.