Aegopodium podagraria is an erect perennial herb 40-100cm tall. It reproduces by seeds and rhizomes. The stems are hollow and grooved, slightly hairy or glabrous, and green in colour.
It is easily identified by its compound leaves with three toothed leaflets that form a lush canopy and its clusters of small white flowers in umbels.
Aegopodium podagraria Classification
- Domain: Eukaryota
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Tracheophyta
- Subphylum: Angiospermae
- Class: Dicotyledonae
- Order: Apiales
- Family: Apiaceae
- Genus: Aegopodium
- Species: Aegopodium podagraria
- Varieties: Aegopodium podagraria var. podagraria and Aegopodium podagraria var. variegatum
- Common Names: Goutweed, Bishop’s weed, Bishop’s goutweed, Herb gerard, English masterwort, Wild masterwort, and Snow on the mountain.
Nativity and Distribution
Ground elder is native to Europe and Asia. Today, the plant can also be found in parts of:
- Australia
- New Zealand
- North America
- Japan
Physical Characteristics

- Leaves: Compound leaves with three-toothed leaflets
- Fruits: Oblong-ovoid, flattened brown fruits
- Stems: Erect and herbaceous that can reach up to 1m in height
- Flowers: Clusters of white flowers in umbels
- Roots: Rhizomatous root system
Aegopodium podagraria is a perennial herb with an erect habit to 1 m in height. It is easily recognized by its long-petioled compound leaves with three-toothed leaflets and small clusters of white flowers in umbels.
Stems are hollow and grooved and green, although they may have a reddish or purplish tint, especially in the lower sections. The leaves are alternately arranged on a fleshy stalk attached to the rhizome.
The lower leaves are ovate with typically 9 leaflets (3-8 cm long) that have an acute apex and serrated margins. The upper leaflets are arranged in three, smaller, with similarly toothed margins.
Flowers have 4-5 petals and are arranged in umbels about 6-12 cm wide. Each umbel is located on a long peduncle and can contain 15-25 individual rays, each 2.5 cm long. The rays form an umbrella-like white appearance that contrasts with the green foliage. Flowering occurs from May to June.
The seeds are small (1.4mm wide), elongated, and brown in colour.
Reproduction, Dispersal, and Life Cycle
- Life Cycle: Perennial
- Seeds: One mature fruit produces 2 seeds
- Climate: Temperate climate
- Dispersal: Wind, water, and animals
Aegopodium podagraria behaves as a perennial weed. It reproduces by seeds and rhizomes.
However, the small quantity of seed produced, environmental conditions like shade, and poor seed viability (typically lasting less than a year), severely hampers propagation.
Ground elder primarily reproduces through underground stems where nodes produce shoots on shallow depths to form new plants. These new offshoots form dense colonies allowing the plant to colonize new areas quickly.
Similar Plants
- Daucus carota
- Angelica sylvestris
- Heracleum sphondylium
- Cicuta virosa
Uses
- Young leaves are added to salads or cooked as leafy vegetables.
- Boiled leaves and root wraps were used as traditional medicine for gout and arthritis.
- It is used as an ornamental plant.
Impact on Farms and Environment

A. podagraria is an aggressive and invasive weed. Once established, it can quickly overtake or limit the establishment of native plant species and become hard to control. It is especially invasive in riparian areas, lawn edges, forests, trials, and pastures.
In the state of Maine, ground elder has been observed to alter soil structure and reduce shade, leading to low growth of shade-tolerant trees like white pine and balsam fir.
While it’s a popular pollinator plant, it can also alter pollinator interactions in non-native areas, causing significant disruptions in local biodiversity.
Due to its invasive and extensive root system, it typically costs landowners time and money to eradicate it. In the United States, several jurisdictions have prohibited the sale of the plant including Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
Control
- Mechanical control: Digging and mowing
- Chemical control: Multiple applications of herbicides containing triclopyr or glyphosate
Digging up the entire plant and its rhizomes can provide effective control against goutweed. However, it’s important to discard all pulled parts effectively as it can resprout from the smallest fragments.
Frequent short mowing can help slow growth on lawn edges and roadsides but may not be viable for large infestations.
Chemical control typically provides better results but requires time and patience. Repeated applications of triclopyr or glyphosate herbicides on actively growing foliage are recommended.
Frequent mowing and herbicide application as an integrated weed control system has also been reported to be effective against Aegopodium podagraria.

Lead Editor for Insight Weeds.