Lovage

Lovage, Levisticum officinale, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Apiaceae, native to Afghanistan and Iran but long cultivated across Europe and introduced to Southeast Asia and the Americas. It grows to about 2.5 meters tall, with shiny green to yellow-green leaves and stems that smell of celery when crushed, producing yellow to greenish-yellow flowers in umbrella-shaped clusters in late spring, followed by dry two-parted fruits in autumn. Its flavor and smell recall both celery and parsley but more intense and spicier than either, and the leaves are used as an herb in salads and broths, the roots as a vegetable, and the seeds as a spice similar to fennel, particularly in southern European cuisine. The essential oil in its roots contains furanocoumarins that can cause photosensitivity, and the plant was reportedly grown on Charlemagne's agricultural estates around 800 AD.