The plant is native to the Mediterranean areas, but also to the Canary Islands, Morocco, and Egypt; it is cultivated in Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and North America. Commercial cultivation takes place mainly in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.
The ripe fruits are used, but standardized extracts from them are often used as well.
Bishop’s weed: characteristics of the plant
Toothpick amei is an annual to biennial herb that grows up to 1 m tall. It has multiple pinnate leaves with filamentous tips. Tiny white flowers grow next to them in large compound umbels. The umbel rays are used as toothpicks, from where the plant gets its name.
The fruits are small and gray-brown, usually broken into part-fruits. The partial fruits are about 0.9 mm wide and up to 3 mm long and resemble an egg in shape. They bear no hairs, but about five lighter ribs and a kind of pistil pad at one end.
Bishop’s weed – what does it taste and smell like?
The fruits of bishop’s weed are odorless. The taste is best described as bitter and slightly aromatic.
