Heracleum (plant)

Heracleum
Flower and leaf of Cow Parsnip
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Apiales
Family:	Apiaceae
Genus:	Heracleum L.
Species
See text (about 60)

Heracleum is a genus of about 60 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of biennial and perennial herbs in the carrot family Apiaceae. They are found throughout the temperate northern hemisphere and in high mountains as far south as Ethiopia. Common names for the genus or its species include hogweed and cow parsnip.

Major species include:

• Heracleum mantegazzianum, Giant hogweed, is a native of the Caucasus Mountains, grows to 4–5 m tall, and can cause severe phytophotodermatitis if the sap gets on human skin. The main mechanism for this dermatitis is extreme photosensitivity, causing severe sunburn on exposure to relatively small amounts of sunlight, with rash and blistering appearing within a few minutes: accordingly immediately covering sap-affected skin can prevent the dermatitis in many cases. It has become a serious invasive weed in many areas of Europe and North America, after being introduced as a garden plant.
• Heracleum persicum, Persian hogweed, is similar in size and properties to the giant hogweed, and was originally from Iran, Iraq and Turkey; it is known in northern Norway as the Tromsø palm.
• Heracleum sphondylium, Common hogweed, is common in Europe.
• Heracleum maximum (synonyms: Heracleum sphondylium subsp. montanum, Heracleum lanatum), Cow parsnip, is common in North America
• Heracleum nepalense is common in Sikkim and Darjeeling district of India. Called chimphing in the Nepali language, it is considered medicinal for stomach ailments and its seeds are ground with tomato and taken as a relish, especially with boiled vegetables.

Gallery

• 
  Cow Parsnip (Heracleum lanatum)
• 
  Common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium)
• 
  Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)
• 
  Sosnowskyi hogweed (Heracleum sosnowskyi)

Species

Note that this is a full list of the 187 names described in the genus; the majority of these names are treated as synonyms of earlier-described species by most botanists.

Heracleum aconitifolium Heracleum acuminatum Heracleum afghanicum Heracleum albovii Heracleum algeriense Heracleum alpinum Heracleum amanum Heracleum amplissimum Heracleum anatolicum Heracleum angustilobatum Heracleum anisactis Heracleum antasiaticum Heracleum apiifolium Heracleum arcticum Heracleum armoricum Heracleum artvinense Heracleum asperum Heracleum austriacum Heracleum bailletianum Heracleum basvicum Heracleum bhutanicum Heracleum biternatum Heracleum brevivittatum Heracleum brignoliaefolia Heracleum brunonis Heracleum calcareum Heracleum candolleanum Heracleum canescens Heracleum carneiflorum Heracleum caspicum Heracleum ceretanum Heracleum chloranthum Heracleum circassicum Heracleum colchicum Heracleum coreanum Heracleum crenatifolium Heracleum cuneiforme Heracleum cyclocarpum Heracleum dalgadianum Heracleum daralaghezicum Heracleum davisii Heracleum deqenense Heracleum dichotoma Heracleum dissectifolium Heracleum egrissicum Heracleum fargesii Heracleum forrestii Heracleum freynianum Heracleum giganteum Heracleum gorganicum Heracleum granatense Heracleum grandiflorum Heracleum grossheimii Heracleum hemsleyanum Heracleum henryi Heracleum hookerianum Heracleum hypoleucum Heracleum idae Heracleum incanum Heracleum inexpectatum Heracleum inperpastum Heracleum insigne Heracleum isopetalum Heracleum jacquemontii Heracleum jugatum Heracleum kansuense Heracleum kingdoni Heracleum lallemantii Heracleum lehmannianum Heracleum leichtlini Heracleum leskovii Heracleum ligusticifolium Heracleum likiangense Heracleum mandenovae Heracleum mantegazzianum: Giant hogweed Heracleum marashicum Heracleum maximum: Cow parsnip Heracleum massyciticum Heracleum microcarpum Heracleum millefolium Heracleum minimum Heracleum moellendorffii Heracleum moellendorffii var. paucivittatum Heracleum moellendorffii var. sagenifolium Heracleum montanum

Heracleum morifolium Heracleum multibracteatum Heracleum nanum Heracleum nepalense Heracleum nyalamense Heracleum obtusifolium Heracleum olgae Heracleum oreocharis Heracleum orphanidis Heracleum ossethicum Heracleum pachyrhizum Heracleum palmatilobum Heracleum palmatum Heracleum panaces Heracleum paniculatum Heracleum paphlagonicum Heracleum pastinaca Heracleum pastinacifolium Heracleum pedatum Heracleum persicum: Persian Hogweed or golpar Heracleum peshmeniana Heracleum pimpinellifolium Heracleum pinda Heracleum pinnatum Heracleum platytaenium Heracleum polyadenum Heracleum propinquum Heracleum pubescens Heracleum pulchrum Heracleum pyrenaicum Heracleum rapula Heracleum rawianum Heracleum rechingeri Heracleum rigens Heracleum scabridum Heracleum scabrum Heracleum schansianum Heracleum schelkovnikowii Heracleum setosum Heracleum siamicum Heracleum sibiricum Heracleum simplicifolium Heracleum smithii Heracleum sommieri Heracleum sosnowskyi Heracleum souliei Heracleum spathiphyllum Heracleum speciosum Heracleum sphondylium: Common hogweed Heracleum sphondylium var. fontqueri Heracleum sprengelianum Heracleum stenopteroides Heracleum stenopterum Heracleum steveni Heracleum strelkovi Heracleum subglabrum Heracleum subtomentellum Heracleum sumatranum Heracleum tabuchii Heracleum taylori Heracleum tenuevittatum Heracleum ternatum Heracleum thomsoni Heracleum tiliifolium Heracleum trachycarpum Heracleum trachyloma Heracleum transcaucasicum Heracleum tuberosum Heracleum turugisanense Heracleum umbellatum Heracleum umbonatum Heracleum verrucosum Heracleum verticillatum Heracleum vescens Heracleum vicinum Heracleum villosum Heracleum viscosum Heracleum wenchuanense Heracleum wolongense Heracleum woodii Heracleum xiaojinense Heracleum yoshii Heracleum yungningense Heracleum yunnanense Heracleum zozimioides

External links

• The International Plant Names Index
• ITIS 29669