The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Cow Parsnip Heracleum lanatum (Apiaceae)
The Hercules of the carrot family is easy to spot on moist hillsides. The leaves are divided into three leaflets. Each huge leaflet is maple-like and may be up to two feet across. The flowers have unequal petals and are arranged in what is known as "umbels" or umbrella shaped clusters of numerous flowers. The stem is stout and hollow.
DISTRIBUTION: Moist places in open or wooded areas; Calif. Floristic Province and Great Basin Province; < 2600 m.
