I came across the dried branches of a strange plant, its crown full of seeds, in the northside backyard of my friends' house. Another friend with me, a landscape architecture student, didn't know what it was any better than I did. But having agreed to propose some updates for this particular yard, she did some research (and then so did I).The result? Apparently "Cow Parsnip" (Heracleum maximum). It is a big plant, the seeds are easy to fall off and light, like some paper rattle toy. It had made quite a home in this backyard, and it seemed kind of weedy. The Eloise Butler Garden in Minnesota, which has some of this growing on its grounds, quotes the writing of Butler on this plant:
"A plea is offered for the next season: O scytheman, spare this weed! It is harmless, and does its best to make glad the waste places. It is named for the god Hercules on account of its massive bulk."
Hercules! What a namesake.
The website also discusses the uses of the plant by Native American tribes in various medicinal preparations! That said, as pretty and potentially useful as they are "harmless" isn't quite accurate by many accounts of contemporary folk:
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) notes that the plant is poisonous to most pets if ingested, and that contact with the skin can cause "ulcerative and exudative dermatitis." Yikes! Doesn't sound good. Apparently humans also don't have the warmest feeling about Cow Parsnip, indeed the feelings seems down right "itchy" as runners in Alaska try to avoid brushing up against this plant of the roadsides they run along.
The only native North American of the parsley family, I wonder how it got its name? Perhaps cows eat them as if they were parsnips? It looks like true parsnips are in fact in the same taxonomic Family (Apiaceae) as this plant.
With all these seeds I may try to grow some for next spring - what insects do they attract with their tiny white flowers?
AY
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