Practical
Plants

Heracleum sphondylium

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
1.8 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies

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.

Many members of this genus, including many of the sub-species in this species[10], contain furanocoumarins. These have carcinogenic, mutagenic and phototoxic properties. See below for more details.

Edible uses

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

Stem and young shoots - raw or cooked[9][11][12][4]. Used as a green vegetable, when harvested just as they are sprouting from the ground they are somewhat like asparagus in flavour[5]. The rind is somewhat acrid[3]. The leaf stems are tied in bundles and dried in the sun until they turn yellow[8]. A sweet substance resembling sugar forms on the dried stems and is considered to be a great delicacy[6][3][5][8]. The peduncles, before flowering, can be eaten as a vegetable or added to soups[5]. Root - cooked. It is usually boiled[11].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root
Plant part
Stem
Product or use
Sweetener

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

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

The roots and the leaves are aphrodisiac, digestive, mildly expectorant and sedative[11][12][8]. The plant is little used in modern herbalism but has been employed in the treatment of laryngitis and bronchitis[12][8]. A tincture made from the aerial parts of the plant has also been used to relieve general debility, though it is uncertain how it works[11][8]. The plant is harvested as it comes into flower and can be dried for later use[12].

Product or use
Aphrodisiac
Product or use
Digestive
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Sedative

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, south of latitude 61° to western N. Africa, west and northern Asia.
Habitat
Moist grassland and ditches, by hedges and in woods[11][4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
permanent shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
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.

A very easily grown plant, succeeding in any ordinary garden soil[1][8], doing best in moist soils or deep woodland[1]. Grows well in full sun or partial shade[8]. This species contains a large number of sub-species. Some, but by no means all of them, can cause various problems as detailed at the top of this record. Subspecies transylvanicum, pyrenaicum, montanum, orsinii and alpinum are distinctly phototoxic, subspecies sphondylium and sibiricum are not phototoxic whilst subspecies granatense and ternatum vary in their toxicity[10]. A good bee plant[2].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

  2. International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981-00-00

    ↩

  3. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

    ↩1↩2

  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩

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

  8. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  9. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

    ↩

  10. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

    ↩1↩2

  11. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  12. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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