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Heracleum lanatum
The Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum also known as Indian Celery or Pushki) is the only member of the genus Heracleum native to North America. The Cow Parsnip is a tall herb, reaching to heights of over two meters. The genus name Heracleum (from "Hercules") refers to the very large size of all parts of these plants. Cow Parsnip has the characteristic flower umbels of the carrot family (Apiaceae), about 20 cm across; these may be flat-topped, as in the pictures above, or more rounded, and are always white. Sometimes the outer flowers of the umbel are much larger than the inner ones, as in the top image. The leaves are very large, up to 40 cm across, divided into lobes (see image). The stems are stout and succulent. The seeds are 8-12mm long and 5-8mm wide (seedheads shown in image). Wikipedia
In grass along hiking trail in the Marin Headlands, CA.
Spotted on Mar 11, 2012
Submitted on Mar 17, 2012
2 Comments
Thank you LuisStevens!
Beautiful!