cow parsnip

noun

|Updated on: 6 Jul 2018

Definition of cow parsnip

: a tall perennial North American plant (Heracleum lanatum) of the carrot family with large compound leaves and broad umbels of white or purplish flowers; also : a related Eurasian plant (H. sphondylium) naturalized in the U.S.

Recent Examples of cow parsnip from the Web

Two other similar looking species include the very benign native plant cow parsnip, which only grows to about 6 feet, and Angelica, which has compound leaves and smooth stems.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "The 411 on Giant Hogweed, the Invasive Plant That Can Cause Severe Burns," 21 June 2018
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services confirmed on Tuesday that giant hogweed, a toxic weed that can grow up to 15 feet tall and resembles the less dangerous cow parsnip, was identified at a private home in Clarke County.

— jamie ducharme, Time, "A Giant Plant That Can Cause Blindness Was Spotted for the First Time in a New State," 20 June 2018
But the cow parsnip also causes ill effects, including a blistering skin rash.

— martin weil, Washington Post, "Huge, toxic weed found for first time in Virginia, experts say," 19 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cow parsnip.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.