Medium to tall hairy plant to 1.5 metres. Stems stiffly erect, solid, ridged. Leaves 1 to 3 pinnate. Flowers white to pinkish, or pink-purple, 2 to 3 mm in long-stalked umbels with 5 to 12 rays. Petals somewhat unequal; bracts present.

Other white umbellifers with ferny leaves.  Similar to Cow Parsley but flowers later and is smaller, and has spiny fruits

Stems solid; bracts; fruits oval and with short curved spines.

Grassy habitats, especially on dry soils.

July to September.

Annual, occasionally biennial.

Common throughout Britain except in the north of Scotland.

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 529 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current checklist (Jeeves 2011) it is listed as Native, frequent