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Heracleum sphondylium

Perennial

HomePerennialHeracleum sphondylium

Moist grassland and ditches, by hedges and in woods.

Family: Apiaceae
Height: 1.8 m / 6 ft
Sun, Semi-shade, Shade
Light, Medium and Heavy Soil
Moist

Plant Rating

Edible Uses: 3 of 5
Medicinal Uses: 2 of 5
Other Uses: 2 of 5

Native Habitat

Cow Parsnip, Eltrot Heracleum sphondylium native habitat is Moist grassland and ditches, by hedges and in woods.

Edible Uses

Stem and young shoots - raw or cooked. Used as a green vegetable, when harvested just as they are sprouting from the ground they are somewhat like asparagus in flavour. The rind is somewhat acrid. The leaf stems are tied in bundles and dried in the sun until they turn yellow. A sweet substance resembling sugar forms on the dried stems and is considered to be a great delicacy. The peduncles, before flowering, can be eaten as a vegetable or added to soups. Root - cooked. It is usually boiled.

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