Aegopodium

a genus of plants of the family Umbelliferae. The plants are perennial rhizomatous herbs. The inflorescences are umbels and umbellules; bracts and bractlets are absent. The teeth of the calyx are small, and the petals, which are usually white, are more or less deeply emarginate. The laterally compressed fruits have filiform ribs. There are seven species, distributed in Europe and the temperate belt of Asia. There are five or six species in the USSR. Common goutweed (A. podagraria) is found in the European USSR, the Caucasus, Siberia, and Middle Asia; it grows in forests, on cleared land, amid shrubbery, and in gardens and parks. Common goutweed sometimes grows as a weed in vegetable gardens and fields. The young leaves and stems are rich in vitamin C.