There exist three types of parsley: of straight leaf, of curly leaf and those whose root can be consumed.

The varieties of straight leaf are small and very aromatic; those of curly leaf are hardly aromatic but used to garnish some dishes. There is a special variety, very popular in Germany, that is cooked as a vegetable or used as seasoning, but it is never consumed raw. It is called "large parsley’.

The varieties cultivated are the following:

Straight leaf: Petroselinum sativum var. latifolium Airy Shaw, that includes cultivars such as Common, Geant from Italy and Plain.
Curly leaf: P. sativum var. crispum, some are Curly dark-green, Moss Curled Evergreen, Moss Curled 2-Krausa, Moss Curled 2-Petra, Favorit, Paramount, Sparticus, Frisé dark-green Frison and Robust strains, Bravour, Moskrul Pagoda and Krausa strain, Decora and Exotica.
Root for consumption: P. sativum var. radicosum Bailey, like the commercial varieties Hamburgrooted, lonf-rooted Parsley, Halflange Fakir strain, etc.