How can you tell if a plant is giant hogweed?

Giant Hogweed Identification Edges are spikey and serrated. Numerous small white flowers arranged in umbrella-shaped heads up to 80cm (31 inches) across. Flowers in late spring to mid summer. Thick, bright green often with reddish spots – can also be nearly completely reddish.

How do you tell the difference between giant hogweed and cow parsnip?

The stems provide a visual difference. The Cow Parsnip’s stem, green and ridged with fine white hairs. The Hogweed stem, green with purple / reddish splotches and coarse white hairs. The leaves of the Hogweed have a knife-like serrated edge.

What looks similar to giant hogweed?

Plants that may be Mistaken for Giant Hogweed

  • Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum)
  • Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)
  • Elderberry (Sambucus spp.)
  • Angelica (Angelica spp.)
  • Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

What happens if you touch giant hogweed?

The NHS Choices website states Giant Hogweed blisters can develop into skin rash called Phytophotodermatitis, otherwise known as Lime Disease. This condition creates a chemical reaction making skin hypersensitive to ultraviolet light such as sunlight. This reaction can re-occur for six years or more.

What does poisonous hogweed look like?

For a toxic plant, giant hogweed is surprisingly pretty, with thick leaves stretching five feet wide and large clusters of white flowers gracing the top of the plant in an umbrella pattern. Its stems (pictured at top left) are green with purple blotches and white hairs.

Is hogweed and Hemlock the same?

What you have here is NOT giant hogweed. It is poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), which is much more common. The ferny foliage makes it possible to distinguish it from giant hogweed. All parts of poison hemlock are toxic too.

Is hogweed hollow?

As its name suggests, giant hogweed it a large plant with distinctively ridged, hollow stems that can grow to up to five metres. Introduced by the Victorians as an ornamental plant for lakesides and gardens, it is an invasive weed of riverbanks, where it prevents native species from growing.

Are wild parsnip and giant hogweed the same?

Wild parsnip is often confused with similar-looking giant hogweed, cow parsnip, Queen Anne’s lace and angelica. Wild parsnip is the only one with a yellow flower, however cow parsnip is equally noxious when it comes into contact with the skin and giant hogweed is considerably worse.

How can you tell hemlock from hogweed?

The ferny foliage makes it possible to distinguish it from giant hogweed. All parts of poison hemlock are toxic too. If you’re removing the plant from your landscape, treat it like you would poison ivy. Wear gloves and a long-sleeved shirt when you handle it.

How can you tell giant hogweed from Angelica?

Giant Hogweed: but Angelica is much shorter, has hairless stems, and has a spherical seed head (compared to Giant hogweed’s umbrella-like and larger seed head). Spotted water-hemlock: but Angelica is much taller (up to 2.5m).

Can giant hogweed blind you?

In B.C., because of the climate, it can grow to be 12 feet tall and have large leaves that can damage the skin. Specifically, it can cause painful blisters and lead to temporary blindness if the plant’s juices get in your eyes.

Should giant hogweed be reported?

There are no regulations stating that you need to notify anyone Giant Hogweed is growing on your land. However reporting the growth of the plant to the Non-native Species Secretariat website (NNSS) does help with getting a handle on how quickly it’s spreading across the country.