As wildflowers go, this one is a big boy, or girl, you know how plants are, sort of gender-fused. Some are males, some are females but most are male/female.
This colossal green thing is the Sasquatch of wildflowers and can reach heights of up to nine feet. It also likes to be tucked away in high mountains but unlike fly poison (see July 4 posting) cow parsnip is edible. The stems and roots can be cooked but because the flowers resemble those of water hemlock, a very, very poisonous plant, most people avoid it. When in doubt, go without.
The white flowers are borne in clusters called umbels (a great Scrabble word) that can be eight inches wide.
Cow parsnip is widespread but somewhat hard to find in Tennessee--generally the higher elevations of the Appalachians--and absent farther south.
In some locales, the plant was known as Indian celery. Native Americans used about all parts of the plant including turning the dried, hollow stems into play flutes for their children.
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteI like that expression 'gender-fused'. I noticed this parsnip is in the same family as queenanne's lace.
I have just returned from New Mexico with photos of wildflowers I can't indentify. I'm discovering home little I know about flower families and the characteristics that would otherwise help me find a place to begin.
Well. Welcome home. How was the trip? I’ll bet you are tired.
ReplyDeleteYes, plants are fascinating and confusing, but at least they hold still and give you a good look. If you can’t identify one, it’s not their fault.
My trip was great and I'm catching up on rest.
ReplyDeleteOn confusing plants--at this point, after scrolling through 3855species on the Ladybird website, with 7,265 more to go, I think I prefer IDing birds. At least birds sing and present some behavior to give you a clue.
To my weary eyes, stillness is not all its cracked up to be.
Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy...I think I have that plant in my yard! I'll take some pics this weekend and post...though its not flowered yet. I wondered what it might be!
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Stephen, I learn so much when I visit here.
But Vickie.
ReplyDeleteThat is what makes plants such a challenge: their overwhelming diversity.
I took enough botany courses at UT to know there's a lot out there. And Tennessee is a prenty green state, as we learned from watching Disney's Davy Crockett, who lived in "the greenest state in the land of the free."
We've been told we have over 1,200 species at the nature center in only 160 acres. That works out to about 7.5 per acre. Wow!
Hello again Beverly.
ReplyDeleteI just checked and cow parsnip is found in your state. It's pretty easy to ID, few wildflowers grow to be that big.
Hope all is well with you.
stephen lyn
LOL Why thank you for checking! I’d not gotten that far yet, but on further examination of my plant and your photo…I’m pretty sure that’s what it is. I wonder how it got here? Birds, probably!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if we should swap middle names?
Beverly Jon
BTW, I learned Cow Parsnip, overall, it is an abundant plant and not a conservation concern, but in some localities it is becoming rarer; it is listed as endangered in Kentucky, whereas in the west it is sometimes regarded as an invasive weed. And among other things, an infusion of the flowers can be rubbed on the body to repel mosquitoes…and this is West Nile country. Whoohoo!!!
hello again Beverly.
ReplyDeleteIf you try an infusion of cow parsnip to repel mosquitoes, please let me know the results.
Swapping middle names might be helpful since most of my life I've gotten mail addressed to Ms. Lyn, as perhaps you have for Mr. Jon.
Wikipedia says: “…an infusion of the flowers can be rubbed on the body to repel flies and mosquitoes,” but also says “The juices of all parts contain a phototoxin that can act on contact with skin and exposure to ultraviolet light, causing anything from a mild rash to a blistering, severe dermatitis, depending on the sensitivity of the individual,” so I’m a little trepidatious. It’s not even close to flowering yet, though…
ReplyDeleteOuch! Beverly.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd rather deal with the mosquitoes than risk a rash or blisters. Thanks for telling me.
ROFLMAO...
ReplyDeleteSure makes me wanna do my research! LOL Doesn't it make ya wonder how we ever came to be eating artichokes?
LOL
Yes. Yes. Beverly. I was well into my 20s before someone taught me how to eat artichokes. The first human being that ate one must have been starving before he or she tackled it. It’s like trying to eat a porcupine.
ReplyDeleteI recently visited Monticello in Virginia. In the vegetable garden they have planted to simulate what Jefferson’s garden was like they have artichokes planted in a neat little row. It was the first time I had ever seen them actually growing, before that I thought that they were just shipped here from Mars. I just stood there looking at them. Such odd looking things.
That’s the thing about plants. Some will make you sick or kill you, some won’t, and it has taken thousands of years of trial and error to figure it out. Two of the plants I wrote about last week—cow parsnip and fly poison—one is edible and the other could kill you. But who figured that out? They don’t come with a warning label.