Laser trilobum

Horse Caraway, Gladich Apiaceae

A handsome and somewhat underused member of the Apiaceae, Laser trilobum is a statuesque perennial with finely divided, elegant foliage and broad, flattened heads of small white flowers. Despite its superficial resemblance to some of the more familiar umbellifers, it has a rather more substantial, architectural character, forming a good-sized clump before sending up stout flowering stems in summer. The specific epithet refers to its characteristic three-lobed lower leaves.

Its natural range is surprisingly extensive, stretching from central and southern Europe eastwards through the Balkans, Ukraine and southern Russia to the Caucasus, Turkey, Lebanon-Syria and northern Iran. It occurs in temperate grassland, woodland margins, scrub and open, often rocky habitats. Kew currently accepts Laser trilobum; Laserpitium trilobum is an older name now treated as a synonym. 

Give it full sun or light shade and a fertile, well-drained soil, preferably one that does not become excessively dry in summer. It is an excellent plant for a naturalistic or prairie-style planting, combining the airy floral effect of a umbellifer with considerably more substance. Intriguingly, it also has a modest ethnobotanical history: recent ethnobotanical work in the Caucasus records L. trilobum among locally recognised edible wild plants, although it is certainly not a species to recommend as a staple vegetable without reliable local knowledge. 

Height: 80–120cm
Spread: 50–80cm
Flowering: June–August
Position: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Fertile, well-drained, preferably moisture-retentive
Hardiness: H6, approximately −20 to −15°C