Cow Parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium)

Family: Apiaceae or Umbelliferae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Heracleum sphondylium is a BIENNIAL/PERENNIAL growing to 1.8 m (6ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from July to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Shoots, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet substance resembling sugar forms on the dried stems and is considered to be a great delicacy. — Stem and young shoots - raw or cooked.; Used as a green vegetable, when harvested just as they are sprouting from the ground they are somewhat like asparagus in flavour.; The rind is somewhat acrid.; The leaf stems are tied in bundles and dried in the sun until they turn yellow.

Habitat & North American Range

Moist grassland and ditches, by hedges and in woods. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)