#heracleum maximum

Cow parsnip is toxic, and coming into contact with its sap can give you a rash or cause blistering if you're also exposed to sunlight (the skin effects are no joke and can leave you with scarring or hyperpigmentation for a long time). But the plant has also traditionally been used for food (the new shoots and young leaf stalks), as a dye (the roots), as a mosquito-repellent (the flowers), to make instruments and tools (the stems), as a tonic for colds (the leaves), and for a variety of other purposes.

At the cow parsnip patch

Wagner Natural Area | Dec. 11, 2020

The Nine Mile Run cow parsnip patch!

These weedy, roadside plants, named after Hercules because of their impressive size, are Northwest natives and can grow up to 2 meters tall! This shot nicely displays cow-parsnip’s flowers which occur in compound umbells.