American cow parsnip
Heracleum lanatum

Family: Apiaceae

What it is like

A herb. It has a stout leafy stem. It can be 2 m tall. The stems are hollow. The leaves are compound with 3 leaflets. They are 30 cm wide. The flowers are small and white. They have a sweet scent. They are in large compounds groups on equal length stalks. The fruit are dry and like nuts.

Caution: Some similar looking plants are poisonous.

Where it is found

It grows in subarctic America. It grows amongst willows and in sheltered hollows near alpine streams in the Rocky Mountains. It grows in moist ground.

Countries/locations it is found in

Alaska, Asia, Canada, India, Northeastern India, North America, Sikkim, USA

How it is used for food

The tender roots are cooked and eaten. The shoots and young leaves are eaten cooked and raw. The dried seeds are used as flavouring. They are also used for chutney and pickles. The leaf stalks must be peeled before being used as the peel contains a chemical that can make make skin sensitive to light and cause rashes. Caution: Similar looking plants can be poisonous.

Edible parts

Roots, shoots, leaf stalks, leaves, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Chem-men, Chimping, Tarnaq, Xwiq'

Synonyms

Heracleum lanatum var. asiaticum Hiroe;