Plant
Giant Hogweed
Heracleum mantegazzianumGiant Hogweed is an enormous herb with deeply divided leaves, stout hollow stems mottled purple, and huge umbrella-shaped white flower clusters. Its clear sap becomes dangerously phototoxic on skin exposed to sunlight.
Invasive PlantGiant HerbPhototoxic Sap
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyPhotosynthetic; a deep taproot stores resources gathered from soil and sunlight
Predators
- Leaf-feeding insects
- Browsing mammals
ThreatsSubject to control because dense invasive stands displace native vegetation and create public health hazards
HabitatsRiverbanks, roadsides, vacant ground, woodland margins, and other moist disturbed sites
Life spanUsually persists several years and dies after producing its single large seed crop
Classification
- FamilyApiaceae
- SpeciesHeracleum mantegazzianum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Sap plus sunlight can cause severe burns, blistering, and lasting light sensitivity; even indirect contact requires care.
- Why it is dangerous
- Furanocoumarins in the sap cause severe phototoxic skin injury when contaminated skin receives ultraviolet light.
- How to recognize a risky encounter
- Confirm towering height, a thick purple-mottled bristly stem, huge divided leaves, and broad white umbels.
- What to do
- Never touch or cut it without trained protection; after exposure, wash immediately and shield skin from sunlight.
Responsible observation
- Distance: Keep well away and prevent children or pets from approaching.
- Identify: Note purple-blotched bristly stems and enormous sharply divided leaves.
- Report: Notify the responsible local invasive-species authority instead of cutting it.
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