Ground-elder - Aegopodium podagraria
Vigorous medium to tall rhizomatous plant that is often patch forming. Toothed uppermost leaves are paired and have three toothed leaflets and short, inflated stalks. Flowers white 2 to 3 mm in umbels of 2 to 6 cm each umbel having 10 to 20 rays.
Cultivated land and gardens, shady places.
May to August.
Perennial.
Common throughout Britain except the west of Scotland.
Common (and sometimes invasive) in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 459 of the 617 tetrads.
In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Alien (archaeophyte), frequent
 Sharnford Road Sapcote SP 4912 9318 (taken 15.6.2007).JPG)
Graham Calow
Sapcote
15 June 2007
Graham Calow
Frolesworth
16 June 2015
Graham Calow
Broughton Astley
24 June 2011
stepgray4
Wymeswold Woodland
25 March 2021
 Sharnford Road Sapcote SP 4912 9318 (taken 15.6.2007).JPG)
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Species profile
- Common names
- Ground Elder, Ground-elder, Goutweed, Bishopweed
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Apiales
- Family:
- Apiaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 180
- First record:
- 21/09/2005 (Lizzy Peat)
- Last record:
- 26/12/2025 (Mabbett, Craig)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
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Latest images
Latest records
Graham Calow
Broughton Astley
24 June 2011
David Nicholls
20 Acre Piece
23 May 2014
Craig Mabbett
Church Field Broughton Astley
06 August 2015
David Nicholls
Groby Pool
03 April 2009
David Nicholls
Bagworth Heath
19 May 2011
Alan Semper
Harby footpath hedge bottom
05 July 2012
Alan Semper
Harby footpath hedge bottom
05 July 2012
Graham Calow
Broughton Astley Brook
04 July 2013
Graham Calow
Ullesthorpe Stewardship Farm
07 June 2013
Phytomyza angelicastri
The larva of the Agromyzid fly Phytomyza angelicastri mines the leaves of Wild Angelica and Ground Elder. This can be a variable leafmine though often linear, following the leaf margin but sometimes creating a blotch mine on the upper leaf surface.
Protomyces macrosporus
The fungus Protomyces macrosporus causes galls of stem or leaf of various umbellifers including Ground-elder and Cow Parsley.
Puccinia aegopodii
The clustered telia of the fungus Puccinia aegopodii cause galls on the undersides of leaves of Ground-elder. Uredinia, aecia and spermogonia are not produced.