SESELI gummiferum

Pronounced (seh-seh-lee goo-me-fair-um)
Fast facts:

• commonly known as moon carrot
• in the Apiaceae family, which includes celery, carrots, and parsley
• loves full sun, can tolerate part shade, and is drought tolerant

Quite similar to the habit of Angelica pachycarpa, this semi-evergreen is technically a biannual, that can be forced to be perennial by pruning the flowers to the ground as soon as they die and before they go to seed. If choosing not to maintain them in this way, they will behave as a biannual by blooming their second year, and then self-seeding. A quirky addition to a drought tolerant landscape, this wonderful specimen is showing without much maintenance work at all. Silvery fern-like leaves emerge from a central growing stem, with large umbels of white flowers emerging the second year. Does not die back in the winters in Portland, lending it to be a semi-evergreen rather than a true perennial. Not commonly seen in many Portland gardens, though it is an excellent choice for the gardener or homeowner seeking a unique, low maintenance, and drought tolerant landscape!