Heracleum sphondylium ssp. montanum (Cow Parsnip) - photos and description
Entire inflorescence subtended by bracts.
Each umbel subtended by bracts.
General: Coarse plant with huge leaves. Stems are pubescent at top and glabrous at bottom.
Flowers: Flowers are white in compound umbels; we measured a compound umbel at 22 cm wide, an umbel at 5 cm wide, and 1 flower at 14 mm wide. The entire compound umbel usually subtended by linear bracts, each umbel subtended by linear bracts. A bract was measured at 15 mm long by 1 mm wide. Flowers have an unpleasant aroma.
Leaves: Stem leaves are alternate. Leaves trifoliate, basal leaves with huge leaflets, deeply cleft and serrate. We measured a leaflet at 32 cm wide and 27 cm long. Leaves tomentose below are sparsely hairy above.
Height: Height listed in Budd's Flora to 250 cm, we measured plants to 163 cm tall.
Habitat: Shady, moist woodlands.
Abundance: Common.
Origin: Native.
Synonym: Listed in some of the field guides we use as Heracleum lanatum.
When and where photographed: These photos were taken August 2nd, swampy woods, boreal forest, about 300 km northeast of our home in Regina, SK.