Cow Parsnip

cow parsnip, (genus Heracleum), genus of about 60 species of flowering plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae), distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and on tropical mountains. Cow parsnips are perennials, often several feet high, with large compound leaves and broad clusters of white or purplish flowers. Nearly all members of the genus can cause skin irritation and blistering in humans and are sometimes confused with other plants of the parsley family, including water hemlocks (Cicuta), wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), and water parsnip (Sium).

Common cow parsnip (H. lanatum or H. maximum) is a weedy plant native to North America. It grows to more than 2 metres (7 feet) in height and produces white flower clusters that are nearly 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter.

giant hogweed

Common hogweed, or eltrot (H. sphondylium), is native to Eurasia and has naturalized in eastern North America. Giant hogweed (H. mantegazzianum) is native to the Caucasus but is considered an invasive species in many areas outside its native range. That striking plant can attain a height of 4 metres (about 13 feet) and has a stout red-spotted stem and a white inflorescence up to 0.5 metre in diameter. Contact with the sap of giant hogweed is especially dangerous and can cause severe photosensitive blistering and scarring; blindness can also occur. See also hogweed.