Giant Hogweed Look-a-Likes
Several plants including cow parsnip, angelica and poison hemlock, are often confused with giant hogweed. Use the pictures below to help identify giant hogweed and its look-a-likes.
Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum
Cow Parsnip, Heracleum maximum
Plant |
Leaf |
Stem |
Flower |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Plants are 5 to 8 feet tall |
Leaves are 2 to 2 1/2 feet and covered in soft hairs that may give a velvety appearance |
Deeply ridged stems maybe green or slightly purple and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Hairs are fine, soft and fuzzy |
Flowers several weeks before giant hogweed. Flower clusters are also smaller |
Angelica, Angelica atropurpurea
Plant |
Leaf |
Stem |
Flower |
| |
|
|
|
| Rarely reaches 8 feet tall |
Compound leaves can reach 2 feet wide and have dozen of small leaflets |
Waxy green to purple, smooth, hollow stems |
Softball size clusters of white or greenish white flowers, less then 1 foot in diameter |
Poison Hemlock, Conium maculatum
Plant |
Leaf |
Stem |
Flower |
| |
|
|
|
| Plants are 4 to 9 feet tall |
Bright green fern-like leaves, maybe glossy |
Smooth, waxy stems with purple blotches |
Small white flowers in numerous flat tpped clusters on all branches |
*Picture credits:
Giant hogweed leaf - Terry English, USDA APHIS PPQ, bugwood.org
Giant hogweed stem - Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, bugwood.org
Giant hogweed flower - USDA APHIS PPQ Archive, bugwood.org
