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zaqa

Heracleum species?

Zaqa
9 years ago

Hello -

Please help me ID this plant. I beleive that this is a Heracleum species given the seed pod structure and the fuzzy stem/characteristic leaves. However, I do not know exactly which species. Please note that this is the mature leaf and it is roughly the size of a standard floor mat.

Comments (7)

  • lycopus
    9 years ago

    Heracleum maximum

  • Zaqa
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ah, bummer and how foolish I am. Common Cow Parsnip then. I thought that the leaves may have been slightly more eroded, or soft, on the edges than the standard wayside Cow Parsnip. Thank you.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    How wide are the leaves exactly? Giant cow parsley bears a strong resemblance except larger in all its parts. It is also a noxious weed in many areas and is highly phytotoxic (The sap of giant hogweed causes phytophotodermatitis in humans, resulting in blisters, long-lasting scars, and��"if it comes in contact with eyes��"blindness).

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    9 years ago

    The Giant Hogweeds, Heracleum mantegazzianum, I have seen have much more sharply cut foliage, although obviously this could be a youngster. Even common Hogweed can cause skin irritation.

  • Campanula UK Z8
    9 years ago

    Oh, not giant hogweed - our common umbellifer is hieracleum spondylifera and, although it may well contain allergic coumarins, our grandaughter happily romps about in our woods which is stiff with hogweed (and anthriscus, angelica, torilis, siam, seselli, peucedanum - umbel central really).....although I would be immediately in extermination mode if hieraceum mantegazzianum appeared.
    Looks like you have something of a weeding chore in store including what looks suspiciously like ground elder. (aegopodium).

  • Zaqa
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you for all of your assistance! Admittedly, I wish that it was H. mantegazzianum, just for the novelty b/c it has not appeared in this area of Indiana on record.

    gardengal : the leaves are about 18 inches wide, roughly speaking.

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    9 years ago

    Given that size, I am still leaning towards giant cow parsley. Young leaves do not posses the deeply incised foliage of a more mature specimen.....and this one doesn't look to be mature at all, given the height (will increase dramatically in size in consecutive years until about 4, when it blooms, disperses seed and then dies. Literature indicates it is a common problem throughout all the Midwest.......