# common cowparsnip (*Heracleum maximum*) Common cowparsnip is a tall plant with big, green leaves and white flowers that look like umbrellas. It grows in sunny places and can be found near rivers and streams. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 63 - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![common cowparsnip](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Heracleum_maximum%252C_Cullowhee%252C_North_Carolina_1.jpg&width=800) Photo: miketilley, CC BY 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heracleum_maximum%252C_Cullowhee%252C_North_Carolina_1.jpg) ## Appearance The common cowparsnip has large, deeply-lobed leaves and towering, hollow stems, topped with broad, flat-topped clusters of tiny white flowers. Its impressive height and umbrella-like flower heads make it a distinctive sight in meadows and woodlands. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Apiales - **Family:** Apiaceae - **Genus:** Heracleum ## Interesting facts - Its giant leaves can create cool shade for small forest creatures on a sunny day! - Native Americans once used its young stems as a spring vegetable! - The plant's tough, hollow stems were sometimes used to make whistles! - You can sometimes see ladybugs resting on its wide, flat flower clusters. ## Special abilities - **Sun Shield Sap:** Common cowparsnip has sap that irritates skin in sunlight, helping it deter hungry animals from eating its leaves. - **Giant Flower Landing Pad:** Common cowparsnip has large, flat flower clusters that act like a giant landing pad, attracting many insect pollinators. - **Hollow Power Stems:** Common cowparsnip has sturdy, hollow stems that help it grow tall quickly, reaching sunlight effectively. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 100-300 cm - **Spread:** 50-150 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1.5 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to mid-summer - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Moderate - **Lifecycle:** Biennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — attracted to its large flower clusters - **Pollinates:** [Two-spotted bumble bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/two-spotted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus bimaculatus*) — important native pollinator for its flowers - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — young plants are sometimes browsed by deer ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Cluster Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cluster-flower): Cluster flowers are inflorescences where individual flowers are arranged closely together on a common stem. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Broadleaf Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/broadleaf-tree): Broadleaf trees are angiosperms characterized by flat, wide leaves that are typically shed annually in temperate climates. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Do not touch the plant's sap, as it can cause skin irritation. Always look but don't touch! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify common cowparsnip? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is common cowparsnip? 100-300 cm ### How wide does common cowparsnip spread? 50-150 cm ### How big are the flowers on common cowparsnip? 0.5-1.5 cm ### When does common cowparsnip bloom? Late spring to mid-summer ### Is common cowparsnip edible? No ### Is common cowparsnip toxic? Moderate ### What is common cowparsnip's lifecycle? Biennial ## Where to spot - [Anderson Japanese Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/anderson-japanese-gardens) — Illinois, US · Botanical Garden - [Bixby State Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bixby-state-preserve) — Iowa, US · Nature Reserve - [Blackhand Gorge State Nature Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blackhand-gorge-state-nature-preserve) — Ohio, US · Nature Reserve - [Boerner Botanical Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/boerner-botanical-gardens) — Wisconsin, US · Botanical Garden - [Chicken Ridge Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/chicken-ridge-historic-district) — US · Historic District - [Currier Park Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/currier-park-historic-district) — Vermont, US · Historic District [View all places to see common cowparsnip](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/common-cowparsnip) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Common Cowparsnip: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-cowparsnip)