E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Heracleum maximum W. Bartram
cow-parsnip (common cowparsnip)
Apiaceae

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Brian Klinkenberg  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #14273)

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Distribution of Heracleum maximum
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial. Stem 1-3 m tall, hairs woolly.
Leaves:
Leaves with widely sheathing petioles 10-40 cm long, upper sheaths enlarged, bladeless, blade 20-50 cm wide, round to kidney-shaped, leaflets 3, 10-40 cm wide, ovate to round, lobed or toothed, usually hairy.
Flowers:
Inflorescence usually 10-20 cm in diameter, woolly or long-hairy, peduncle 5-20 cm long, involucre bracts 5-10, deciduous, narrow, 5-20 mm long, involucel bractlets similar to involucre bracts, rays 15-30, 5-10 cm long. Petals obovate, white.
Fruits:
Fruit 8-12 mm long, obovate to heart-shaped, narrowed toward base, flat, winged, glabrous or hairy.

Account Author::  Fred Ganders, 2010.

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Early Summer
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present over the Summer
Source:  The USDA

Habitat / Range

Habitat wet to moist areas from the lowland to the alpine zone. Common throughout BC; amphiberingian, E to NF and S to GA, NM and CA; E. Asia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Heracleum maximum

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
Site Information
 Value / Class

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 0 1157 2750
Slope Gradient (%) -5 15 190
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		0 140 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		1 4 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 D
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 2723
Modal BEC Zone Class
 ESSF
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: AT(15), BAFA(6), BG(6), BWBS(181), CDF(1), CMA(1), CWH(147), ESSF(955), ICH(286), IDF(90), IMA(3), MH(28), MS(180), PP(3), SBPS(26), SBS(586), SWB(44)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Heracleum lanatum Michx.
Heracleum sphondylium subsp. lanatum
Heracleum sphondylium subsp. montanum (Schleich. ex Gaudin) Briq.
Heracleum sphondylium var. lanatum (Michx.) Dorn

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links


Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2022-05-20 10:03:06 AM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
© E-Flora BC: An initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography UBC, and the UBC Herbarium.