Sowa / Dill
Anethum graveolens
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh & more
How to identify Sowa
Identify Sowa by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Aromatic dill-scented feathery leaves.
- Confirm leaf shape: Deeply feathery/finely divided.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Umbel.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Apiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Sowa.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Anethum graveolens
- Genus
- Anethum
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- Deeply feathery/finely dividedrecorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sowa itself; the rest are typical of the Apiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
- Flower arrangement
- UmbelrecordedFlower stalks all radiate from a single point, like umbrella ribs.“In hot or dry weather, small white to yellow scented flowers form in small umbels 2.5–9 cm (1–3+1⁄2 in) in diameter from one long stalk.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Umbel
- Fruit
- Schizocarp
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sowa itself; the rest are typical of the Apiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- sowa
- Bengali
- শুলফা
About Sowa
Dill (Anethum graveolens) belongs to the Apiaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Goa, Himachal Pradesh and 4 other states.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten and distilled for an aromatic oil.
In culture
It carries a body of folklore around it.
Apiaceae
Carrot family
Sowa belongs to the Apiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Apiaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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