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Cow-parsnip
Heracleum maximum Bartr.
Synonym: Heracleum lanatum
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Family: Apiaceae,
Parsley
Genus: Heracleum
Description
Plant height: 100-250 cm.
Growth habit:
Robust perennial from a stout taproot or
cluster of fibrous roots, strong-smelling.
Stems:
erect, single, hairy, hollow.
 Leaves: alternate, 10-30 cm wide, hairy at least on lower
surface, with 3 stalked, toothed leaflets that are palmately
lobed. Upper leaf stalks have inflated sheaths at base.
 Flowers: small, white, with deeply lobed petals which
are 5-7 mm long, larger at edge of umbels. Umbel clusters
flat-topped, 10-30 cm wide, several from stem tops and
upper leaf axils, each with 15-30 rays. Bracts 5-10, narrow,
0.5-2 cm long, soon falling off.
Flowering time: June-July.
 Fruits: flattened, egg- to heart-shaped, 7-12 mm long
and 5-9 mm wide, with ribs and 2 broad wings.
Distribution
Stream banks and moist low ground, from the lowlands to
moderate elevations in the mountains in w. and c. parts of
MT, also from AK to NM.
 Edible: stems and roots, see below. |
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(click on image for full size)
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(click on images for full size)
Cow parsnip was widely used by native people as a vegetable. Young stems were peeled, to remove the strong-smelling outer skin, and the mild, sweet inner stem was eaten raw or boiled. Unpeeled stems were sometimes roasted in hot coals. The roots were also used as a cooked vegetable, like parsnip. Toy flutes and whistles can be made from the dry, hollow stems, but these may irritate the lips. Caution: people with sensitive skin may react to the furanocoumarins in cow-parsnip, which can cause dark blotches, rashes and even blisters when contact with the plant is accompanied by exposure to sunlight. |
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