Cow-parsnip
Heracleum maximum
Found in northern hardwood forests, roadbanks, meadows, forest openings, grassy balds, rich floodplain forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you
Sap / sunlight hazard
Native to Virginia. Not suggested for planting. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 94%
- Height
- 6–8 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…
Sap / sunlight hazard. Avoid skin and eye contact with sap. Sap exposure followed by sunlight can cause burns or dermatitis. Plant caution source
Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Biennial or perennial
- Bloom
- May to July
- Fruiting season
- July to August
JFMAMJJASOND
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves
Recorded in 27 Virginia counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
1 of 6
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Open, grassy or flowery ground that is not wet, such as mountain meadows; wet meadows are separate.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 114 animals.
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Eastern Wood-peweeContopus virens
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Great Crested FlycatcherMyiarchus crinitus
- Hairy WoodpeckerPicoides villosus
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Hooded WarblerWilsonia citrina
- Kentucky WarblerOporornis formosus
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Northern FlickerColaptes auratus
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
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Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · Heracleum
- Depressaria radiellaParsnip Webworm, Cow-Parsnip Flat-Body
- Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
- Papaipema harrisiiHeracleum Stem Borer Moth, Cow Parsnip Borer
- Papaipema impecuniosaAster Borer
- Papaipema insulidensRagwort Stem Borer
- Papilio polyxenesBlack Swallowtail, Celery Caterpillar, Fennel Worm, Desert Black Swallowtail, Parsnip Swallowtail
- Agonopterix clemensella
- Agonopterix flavicomella
5BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Heracleum
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimBeetles 9
- Anthrenus castaneae
- Centrinites strigicollis
- Cryptorhopalum haemorrhoidale
- Diabrotica 12-punctata
- Euderces picipes
- Mordellistena biplagiata
- Orphilus glabratus
- Trichius affinis
- Trichius piger
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Flies 74
- Agromyza latipes
- Alophora fumosa
- Archytas analis
- Archytas aterrima
- Belvosia unifasciata
- Bibio albipennis
- Blepharipeza leucophrys
- Bombylius atriceps
- Calythea albicincta
- Chaetogaedia analis
Show all 74
- Chilosia petulca
- Chlorops proxima
- Chrysogaster nigripes
- Chrysops indus
- Cistogaster occidua
- Criorhina decora
- Criorhina umbratilis
- Didea fasciata
- Empis distans
- Eristalis bastardi
- Graphomyia americana
- Gymnosoma fuliginosa
- Helicobia 4-setosa
- Hilarella aristalis
- Hippelates plebejus
- Hippelates pusio
- Hyalomyodes triangulifera
- Hyalurgus johnsoni
- Leucostoma nigricornis
- Limnophora narona
- Lucilia sericata
- Lucilia sylvarum
- Mallota posticata
- Morellia micans
- Nemotelus glaber
- Odontomyia cincta
- Orthoneura nitida
- Peleteria robusta
- Phorantha humeralis
- Phorantha pruinosa
- Phorantha purpurascens
- Phorantha robertsonii
- Phormia regina
- Pipiza femoralis
- Pipiza festiva
- Pipiza pulchella
- Rhamphomyia mutabilis
- Rhamphomyia priapulus
- Rhamphomyia rava
- Sarcophaga aldrichi
- Sarcophaga assidua
- Sarcophaga bullata
- Sarcophaga dux sarracenioides
- Sarcophaga impar
- Scatopse pulicaria
- Sciara atrata
- Senotainia trilineata
- Sepsis violacea
- Siphonella cinerea
- Siphonella inquilina
- Sphaerophoria cylindrica
- Stratiomyia apicula
- Stratiomyia discalis
- Stratiomyia meigenii
- Sturmia fraudulenta
- Syrphus americanus
- Syrphus ribesii
- Syrphus torvus
- Tachydromia pusilla
- Trichopoda pennipes
- Tropidia quadrata
- Xylota bicolor
- Zodion fulvifrons
- Zodion nanellum
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Adult butterflies / moths 2
- Cercyonis alope
- Phyciodes tharos
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Other wasps 42
- Ancistrocerus tigris
- Ancistrocerus unifasciatus
- Anoplius illinoensis
- Anoplius virginiensis
- Ceropales fraterna
- Chalybion caeruleum
- Chlorion caeruleum
- Ectemnius atriceps
- Elasmus nigripes
- Eumenes fraternus
Show all 42
- Haltichella ornata
- Ichneumon funestus
- Ichneumon jucundus
- Ichneumon longulus
- Leionotus clypeatus
- Leionotus illinoensis
- Leionotus megaera
- Leionotus scrophulariae
- Metopius terminalis
- Microbracon tortricicola
- Notogonidea argentata
- Oxybelus 4-notatus
- Perilampus fulvicornis
- Phygadeuon vulgaris
- Planiceps feralis
- Polistes pallipes
- Polistes rubiginosus
- Polistes variatus
- Pompiloides marginatus
- Pompiloides subviolaceus
- Porizon conotracheli
- Psammochares scelestus
- Rhopalum pedicellatum
- Sphex vulgaris
- Symmorphus debilis
- Tachysphex acutus
- Tiphia clypeata
- Tiphia inornata
- Tiphia vulgaris
- Trogus vulpinus
- Tryphon affinis
- Vespula maculata
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Other insects 2
- Corimelaena pulicaria
- Phytocoris scrupeus
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Apiaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 4a–10a
- Soil pH
- Acidic
- Flower color
- White
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Several stems
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- July
- Fruit ends
- August
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “May to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “White” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 4a–10a” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “6–8 feet” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
- Life cycle · “Biennial or perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs)
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
- primary_flower_color · “white” · USDA PLANTS
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
American Hogweed; Cow Parsnip; Heracleum lanatum; Masterwort
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Growing cautions
- Spreads aggressively. Spreads rapidly by seed. Tennessee Smart Yards
For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.
Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications