Hello, thanks for this site, I will have lots of questions. Can anyone identify this plant? It's blooming right now in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The flowers have a sweetish smell. I have looked through all my books but no luck yet. It's about 6 feet high. Thank you in advance.
Whoops! I broke off a leaf a month ago and brought it home to look through my medicinal/edible books. I was careful not to touch my face after handling it and cautioned my daughter to do the same. We washed our hands too. Any one else? I can get another picture if need be. It's even larger now. Thank you, Chimera.
Apparently it's phytotoxic, the sap can cause blisters when exposed to sunlight is my understanding. Heracleum species, not sure which one.
Yes, I did a little research and found the same, also that the sap can cause temporary blindness. I have notified the local Lands & Forests people because there is about 1/4 acre of this stuff on a vacant lot in a residential area where there are lots of children. So glad I didn't think it was angelica and start munching on it...not that I would do that without being absolutely sure I had made the correct i.d. Thanks for the info, this is a wonderful resource.