Heracleum maximum Calflora

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Taxon Report

Heracleum maximum W. Bartram

Common cow parsnip

Heracleum maximum is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.

also called Heracleum lanatum


	Plant Range Observation Search ~1685 records in California Plant Characteristics

Bloom Period

Photos on Calflora


Genus:	Heracleum
Family:	Apiaceae
Category:	angiosperm
PLANTS group:	Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Wetlands:
Arid West: Occurs usually in wetlands, occasionally in non wetlands
Mountains, Valleys and Coast: Equally likely to occur in wetlands and non wetlands

Communities: Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Lodgepole Forest, Subalpine Forest, Foothill Woodland, Chaparral, Valley Grassland, many plant communities

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:


JEF + PLANTS	Heracleum lanatum
PLANTS	Heracleum sphondylium ssp. montanum
PLANTS	Heracleum sphondylium var. lanatum
ICPN	Heracleum sphondylium

Information about Heracleum maximum from other sources


Nursery availability from CNPLX This plant is available commercially. Jepson eFlora USDA PLANTS Profile (HEMA80) Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist ID Tips on PlantID.net	International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) Landscape information from Calscape BONAP Distribution Map Consortium of California Herbaria 2 Search the Native American Ethnobotany Database	Add an Observation Location Suitability Planting Guide Distribution by County
[Wikipedia] Ecology: The species is widely recognized as a valuable pasture plant for cows, sheep, and goats. It is also known to be important in the diets of numerous wild animals, especially bears, both grizzly bears and black bears.[21] It is a host plant for the black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes), short-tailed swallowtail butterfly (Papilio brevicauda), old world swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machaon), anise swallowtail butterfly (Papilio zelicaon), and the moths Eupithecia tripunctaria, Papaipema harrisii, Papaipema impecuniosa, Agonopterix clemensella, Agonopterix flavicomella, and Depressaria pastinacella.[ (link added by Mary Ann Machi) photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 03/31/2025).