Plants that may be Mistaken for Giant Hogweed


Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum)

  • leaves broader and less serrated (toothed) than giant hogweed
  • leaves are not shiny, has large leaf sheaths
  • stems are usually green but lower portions can be purple but markings are not blotches, steaks or spots
  • flower stalks and stems have soft hairs, not stiff hairs like giant hogweed
  • usually blooms in July earlier than giant hogweed
  • the inflorescence is composed of many small white flowers in a flat umbel,
  • flower heads can be 20-30 cm in diameter, less than one quarter the size of giant hogweed
  • can cause phytophotodermatitis similar to giant hogweed

Cow Parsnip

 

Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)

  • leaves pinnate and divided repeatedly having a feathery appearence
  • stems green with soft hairs, no purple
  • blooms June through August
  • inflorescence composed of many small white flowers in flat umbels no more than 10-15 cm in diameter
  • grows up to 1 m high

Mistaken Hogweed

 

Elderberry (Sambucus spp.)

  • opposite, pinnate leaves, leaflets have serrated edges
  • stems woody, opposite branching
  • inflorescence composed of many small white flowers in terminal cymes that may be flat topped or not

Mistaken hogweed

 

Angelica (Angelica spp.)

  • compound leaves have dozens of small leaflets
  • stems may be smooth or hairy, green or reddish, has enlarged leaf sheaths
  • inflorescence is a large compound umbel composed of small white to greenish flowers
  • plants can grow to about 2 m high

mistaken hogweed

 

Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)

  • compound pinnate leaves, leaflets are lobed and/or serrated
  • stems are green with longitudinal ridges
  • inflorescence is an umbel of small yellow flowers
  • can grow to about 1.5 m
  • can cause phytophotodermatitis similar to giant hogweed but usually less severe

mistaken hogweed