Garden Parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant. In the first year, it forms a rosette of tripinnate leaves 10-25 cm long with numerous 1-3 cm leaflets, and a tap root used as a food store over the winter. In the second year it grows a flowering stem to 75 cm tall with sparser leaves and flat-topped 3-10 cm diameter umbels with numerous 2 mm diameter yellow to yellowish-green flowers. The seeds are ovoid, 2-3mm long, with prominent style remnants at the apex. The plant normally dies after seed maturation. Italian (flat-leaved) parsley is preferred by some as it easier to cultivate, being more tolerant of both rain and sunshine. In modern cooking, parsley is used for its leaf in much the same way as coriander (also known as Chinese parsley or cilantro), although parsley is perceived to have a milder taste. In central and eastern Europe and in western Asia, many dishes are served with fresh green chopped parsley sprinkled on top. Green parsley is often used as a garnish, with potato dishes (boiled buttered potatoes or mashed potato), with rice dishes (risotto or pilaf), with fish, fried chicken, lamb or goose, steaks, meat or vegetable stews (like beef bourguignon, goulash or chicken paprikash). In southern and central Europe, parsley is part of bouquet garni, a bundle of fresh herbs used as an ingredient in stocks, soups, and sauces. Freshly chopped green parsley is used as a topping for soups like chicken soup, green salads or salads like Salade Olivier, on open sandwiches with cold cuts or pts. Chinese and German herbologists recommend parsley tea to help control high blood pressure. It is often used as an emmenagogue. Parsley also appears to increase diuresis by inhibiting the Na+/K+-ATPase pump in the kidney, thereby enhancing sodium and water excretion while increasing potassium re absorption. It is also valued as an aquaretic. When crushed and rubbed on the skin, parsley is said to reduce itching of mosquito bites.