Short answers, pulled from the story.
Parsley is native to the Balkans and is believed to have first been cultivated in Sardinia, around the 3rd century BC. Linnaeus identified Sardinia as its wild habitat, and the herb was brought from there to England, where it was first recorded in cultivation in 1548.
The main types are curly-leaf parsley, flat-leaf parsley, and root parsley. Curly-leaf is widely used as a garnish for its decorative appearance; flat-leaf is often preferred by chefs for its stronger flavor and hardiness. Root parsley, known as Hamburg root parsley, is grown for its thick edible root and is common in central and eastern European cuisines.
Fresh parsley is a rich source of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, folate, and iron, each providing 20% or more of the daily recommended value per 100-gram serving. That same amount supplies 36 calories. Parsley also contains the plant compounds apigenin and myricetin.
The word parsley is a merger of Old English petersilie and Old French peresil. Both trace back to Medieval Latin petroselinum, which is a latinization of the Greek word meaning rock celery. The earliest known form of the root word selinon appears in Mycenaean Greek, written in Linear B script.
In Brazil, freshly chopped parsley and freshly chopped scallion together form the herb seasoning called cheiro-verde, meaning green aroma. Cheiro-verde is used as a key seasoning across a wide range of Brazilian dishes including meat, chicken, fish, rice, beans, stews, soups, and sauces, and is sold in food markets as a bundled package of both herbs.
Normal food quantities of parsley are considered safe for pregnant women. Consuming excessively large amounts should be avoided, however, because parsley in very large quantities may have uterotonic effects.