Practical
Plants

Heracleum pubescens

Downy Cow-Parsnip

a biennial or perennial member of the Heracleum genus in the family Umbelliferae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
biennial, perennial
Height
0.75 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Although no specific mention has been seen for this species, many members of this genus contain furanocoumarins. These have carcinogenic, mutagenic and phototoxic properties[6]. Skin contact with the sap of some members of this genus is said to cause photo-sensitivity and/or dermatitis in some people[7].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The young shoots are filled with a sweet aromatic juice and are eaten raw[5][2][3][4].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Stem

Environment

Range
W. Asia. Possibly naturalized in parts of C. and W. Europe.
Habitat
Damp shady places[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow mid to late spring or early autumn in situ. Division in autumn.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in any ordinary garden soil, doing best in moist soils or deep woodland[1].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  4. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

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  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  7. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

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  8. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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