Tidal Marsh/ Mock Bishops Weed

COMMON NAME: Mock Bishop’s Weed

OTHER COMMON NAME(S):

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Ptilimnium capillaceum

FAMILY: Apiaceae

COMMUNITY: Tidal Marsh

STATUS: Native

LIFESPAN: Annual

HEIGHT: 8 inches to 6 feet

FLOWERING TIME: Mid-July to late September

FRUITING TIME: Late August to late October

DISTRIBUTION: Massachusetts to Florida and Texas ~ Throughout coastal strip in NJ and Delaware Bay shore ~ Found in slat marshes, brackish to fresh water marshes ~ Rare inland on tidewater streams

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS: Slender stem, loosely branched ~ Leaves like a feather, 2 to 4 inches long and slender, threadlike, pinnate, many leaves ~ Flower in umbelical (flower arising from a single point, umbrella-like), very small, white ~ Fruit oval with ribs

GENERAL INFORMATION: Found in wet soil, in usually salt to brackish conditions such as the salt marsh at Island Beach State Park and occasional inland in  fresh water swamps and ditches. The genus Ptilimnium may come from the Greek ptilon meaning a feather or down and limne meaning mud alluding to the finely divided leaves of Mock Bishop’s Weed and the habitat in which the plant grows. All species in this genus have the same common name.

Please note: While harvesting wild berries/fruit is permitted at Island Beach State Park, visitors must adhere to park regulations at all times and must not damage vegetation or go off designated trails.  This information is presented for educational purposes.