South Ossetia Parsley
Petroselinum crispum
Seed per packet ~ 100
Germination 86% Sep 2024. Packed for 2025
Parsley, or garden parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae that is native to Greece, Morocco and the former Yugoslavia. It has been introduced and naturalized in Europe and elsewhere in the world with suitable climates, and is widely cultivated as a herb, and a vegetable.
The "South Ossetia" parsley, originating from Kurta in South Ossetia, Georgia, is a unique landrace variety known for its multi-use properties, including edible roots, leaves, and seeds. Collected in 1989, this parsley is notable for its strong flavor and historical significance, linked to the region's tumultuous past and current status as a conflict zone. It is a biennial plant, hardy enough to withstand winters in most parts of the US.
This parsley variety was collected from a home gardener in Kurta in 1989. Kurta is a town in the Republic of Georgia It was donated to the USDA by through the German seed bank at Gatersleben in 1997. The narrative accompanying this parsley in the USDA database says only this: "Leaf parsley, old local form (root parsley cultivated in Racha, used in a variety of marinades, vegetables, and also as seasoning, presumed primitive form)." Racha is a mountainous region of the Republic of Georgia just to the northwest of South Ossetia.
Jen Williams of Wild Dreams Farm on Vashon Island in Washington state grew these seeds out for the Experimental Farm Network. This is a primitive multi-use parsley with edible roots, leaves, and seeds, though the leaves are more strongly flavored than the average parsley. Parsley seeds are a common spice in some places, but they have largely been forgotten here in the US.
GROWING TIPS: Start seeds in flats a few weeks before last frost. Seed-grown parsley starts slowly before eventually taking off. Give plants at least 6 inches of space or more. Parsley is a biennial, so don't expect flowers and seeds until the second year. Should be cold-hardy enough to survive winters outdoors in most of the US.
