chervil [key], name for two similar edible Old World herbs of the family Umbelliferae (parsley family). The salad chervil is Anthriscus cerefolium. Its leaves, like those of the related dill and parsley, are used for seasoning. The turnip-rooted chervil (Chaerophyllum bulbosum) is cultivated for its edible root. Other species of Chaerophyllum [Gr.,=gladdening leaf, for the fragrant foliage] are also called chervil, e.g., the native American C. procumbens. Chervil is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Umbellales, family Umbelliferae.
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