A Visual Guide to Identifying the Dill Plant

With its delicate, fern-like foliage and yellow umbrella-shaped flower heads, the dill plant is an unmistakable herb. This aromatic plant has been used for centuries for both culinary and medicinal purposes. This article provides a pictorial guide to help identify the dill plant.

Dill Foliage

The fine feathery leaves of the dill plant are excellent identifiers. The foliage is delicate and fern-like with very thin, thread-like segmented leaves.

• The leaves emerge light green in color, maturing to a blue-green as the plant ages

• Leaves grow in an alternating pattern along upright, hollow stems.

• Leaves are around 3–5 inches long.

• Dill has a glossy waxy coating on the leaves.

Dill Flowers

Dill produces clusters of tiny yellow flowers on umbrella shaped heads called umbels.

• The umbels grow 4–6 inches across.

• Numerous small yellow flowers make up the umbrella head.

• Flower heads emerge on short stems from the upper leaf axils.

• Blooming begins in mid-summer and continues until fall frost.

• Flowers mature into ridged, oval seeds.

Dill Height

Mature dill can grow quite tall, even up to 5 feet under ideal conditions.

• Dill starts off short, just 12–18 inches high early in the season.

• The plant rapidly bolts upward as it blooms, reaching peak height by mid-summer.

• Expect a height around 3–4 feet at full size.

• Provide support once dill exceeds 18–24 inches tall to prevent toppling.

Dill Structure

Dill has an erect growth habit with hollow, branching stems.

• Stems are upright but tend to be slender and flexible.

• Numerous stems emerge from the base, giving dill an airy, open appearance.

• Stems are smooth, round and pale green in color.

• As dill matures, the stems become woody and turn brown starting from the base.

Identifying Key Parts

These are the main structural parts of the dill plant:

• Feathery fern-like leaves

• Slender hollow stems with many branches

• Flat, toothed leaf structures with divided segments

• Umbel flower clusters at tops of stems

• Ridged oval seeds following flowering

Where Dill Grows

Understanding where dill grows helps in identification:

• Dill thrives in full sun locations with well-drained soil.

• Often found in herb gardens, vegetable plots, and flower beds.

• Tends to reseed readily under favorable conditions.

• A native plant of the Mediterranean and southern Russia regions.

• Popular culinary herb used around the world.

Common Varieties

There are several popular dill cultivars to know:

• Bouquet – compact leafy variety, slow to bolt.

• Mammoth – very large, leafy type, recommended for cold climates.

• Fernleaf – attractive, fine-textured ferny foliage.

• Tetra – fast growing, bolt resistant for maximum leaves.

• Dukat – slow bolting, high quality leaves.

Key Identification Points

Here are the main ways to identify the dill plant:

• Delicate, ferny foliage with divided leaves.

• Slender, branching, upright growth habit.

• Flat clusters of small yellow flowers on umbrella shaped heads.

• Blooms in summer with ridged oval seeds following.

• Height up to 5 feet tall at maturity.

• Hollow, smooth light green stems turning woody.

With this visual guide, identifying dill in the garden or in the wild should be straightforward. Look for the fine, feathery leaves, yellow flower heads, tall stature, and aromatic scent that make dill such a unique herb.