Skirret

Skirret (Sium Sisarum), a perennial plant of the natural order Umbellifere, a native of China and Japan, but which has long been cultivated in gardens in Europe for the sake of its roots, which are tuberous and clustered, sometimes 6 inches long, and of the thickness of the finger. They are sweet, succulent, and nutritious, with a somewhat aromatic flavour, and when boiled are a very agreeable article of food. A kind of spirituous liquor is sometimes made from them. Good sugar can also be extracted. Skirret was at one time more cultivated in Britain than it is at present, although there seems to be no good reason for its having fallen into disrepute. Worledge called it the 'sweetest, whitest, and most pleasant of roots.' It is propagated either by seed or by very small offsets from the roots. It has a stem of 2 to 3 feet high; the lower leaves pinnate, with oblong serrated leaflets, and a heart-shaped terminal leaf, the upper ones ternate with lanceolate leaflets.