giant hogweed

noun

plural giant hogweeds

: a tall perennial herb (Heracleum mantegazzianum) of the carrot family native to the Caucasus that has a hollow, usually purple-blotched stem which can reach a height of 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 meters) and white-flowered umbels arranged in flat-topped clusters usually over 2.5 feet (0.8 meters) in diameter and that produces an irritating sap that causes severe rashes and blistering

Note: The giant hogweed has become invasive in Canada and the U.S. after being introduced as an ornamental plant in the early 1900s.

She didn't realize she was planting poison. The plant was giant hogweed—a noxious, weed that looks like Queen Anne's lace and can give blistering, oozing rashes to anyone who touches its sap.

—Noreen Gillespie

Giant hogweed … stands eight feet tall displaying three-foot long coarsely divided leaves and stems crowned with huge parasols of small white flowers.

—Taimi Anderson

called also cartwheel flower, giant cow parsley, giant cow parsnip, hogsbane

Examples of giant hogweed in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Like the wild parsnip, giant hogweed contains sap that can cause a skin reaction when exposed to the sun. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2023

Other plants that look similar include poison hemlock (which is toxic if ingested) as well as wild parsnip, cow parsnip, and Queen Anne’s lace, all of which can cause skin reactions—although typically not nearly as severe as those caused by giant hogweed. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 24 Aug. 2023

More information on giant hogweed and preventing the spread can be found on the DNR website. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 8 Aug. 2023

However, giant hogweed grows much taller, maxing out at 15 feet tall by early to mid-summer. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 24 July 2023

But others, such as giant hogweed, are too dangerous to tackle alone. —Arricca Elin Sansone, House Beautiful, 16 May 2023

Poison Hemlock Just like giant hogweed, poison hemlock has clusters of white flowers and the stems have purple splotches, according to an article by the healthcare blog Heathline. —Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2023

Giant Hogweed According to the Michigan State Extension website, the giant hogweed can cause severe reactions caused by the sap of the plant. —Chandra Fleming, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above