An official website of the United States government.

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar.

This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that’s been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.

National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Terrestrial Invasives / Terrestrial Plants / Giant Hogweed

Giant Hogweed

View all resources
Giant hogweed
Giant hogweed plants - Photo by Donna R. Ellis; University of Connecticut
Scientific Name: 

Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier (ITIS)

Common Name: 

Giant hogweed, cartwheel-flower

Native To: 

Caucasus Mountains (Gucker 2009)

Date of U.S. Introduction: 

1917 (Gucker 2009)

Means of Introduction: 

Ornamental (Gucker 2009)

Impact: 

Produces toxic sap that can cause skin irritation and blindness (Gucker 2009)

Spotlights

Virginia Tech Scientists who Identified Dangerous Giant Hogweed in Clarke County Hopeful That it will be Contained (Jun 18, 2018)

Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech researchers who helped identify the dangerous Giant Hogweed plants in Clarke County, Virginia, want residents to stay on the lookout for the plant with toxic sap that can cause severe burns — but also stressed that the weeds are believed to have been planted intentionally decades ago and haven’t spread in the years since. Anyone who suspects they have found Giant Hogweed should take photos, check online to compare the plant to giant hogweed photos, and then contact a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System (EDDMapS) - Giant Hogweed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Provides state, county, point and GIS data. Maps can be downloaded and shared.
Pest Tracker - Survey Status of Giant Hogweed
USDA. APHIS. Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. National Agricultural Pest Information System.

Federally Regulated

Noxious Weeds Program
USDA. APHIS. Plant Protection and Quarantine.

Includes species listed as a Federal Noxious Weed under the Plant Protection Act, which makes it illegal in the U.S. to import or transport between States without a permit.

Images

Google Images - Giant Hogweed
Google.
Invasive.org - Giant Hogweed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Giant Hogweed: A Herculean Weed with Power

Google. YouTube; University of Maryland Extension. Home and Garden Information Center.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for Giant Hogweed.

Council or Task Force
Factsheet - Giant Hogweed (Mar 2017) (PDF | 758 KB)

Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (Canada).

See also: Publications for more resources

Fact Sheet: Giant Hogweed (Jan 2014) (PDF | 804 KB)
Alberta Invasive Species Council (Canada).
See also: Fact Sheets for more information about individual invasive species, including those listed as "Prohibited Noxious" and "Noxious" under the Alberta Weed Control Act
Partnership
Alaska Exotic Plants Information Clearinghouse (AKEPIC): Species Biography - Giant Hogweed (Feb 7, 2011) (PDF | 235 KB)
University of Alaska - Anchorage. Alaska Center for Conservation Science.
See also: Non-Native Plant Species List for additional factsheets (species biographies) and species risk assessment reports of non-native species present in Alaska and also non-native species currently not recorded in Alaska (potential invasives)
NOBANIS: Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet - Heracleum mantegazzianum (2007) (PDF | 590 KB)
European Network on Invasive Alien Species.
See also: NOBANIS Fact Sheets for invasive alien species of the European region, covering both animals and plants, as well as microorganisms
EPPO Global Database - Heracleum mantegazzianum
European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization.
Fact Sheet: Giant Hogweed
Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Project.
Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. - Fact Sheet: Heracleum mantegazzianum

USDA. APHIS. PPQ. Center for Plant Health Science and Technology; California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Giant Hogweed in Connecticut
University of Connecticut. Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group.
Global Invasive Species Database - Heracleum mantegazzianum (herb)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invaders Factsheet: Giant Hogweed

Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).

Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States - Giant Hogweed
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.
Invasive Species Compendium - Heracleum mantegazzianum
CAB International.
New York Invasive Species Information - Giant Hogweed

New York Invasive Species Clearinghouse.

Non-native Species Information: Giant Hogweed
Great Britain Non-Native Species Secretariat.
Texas Invasives Database - Heracleum mantegazzianum
TexasInvasives.org.
Weeds Australia - Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)

Centre for Invasive Species Solutions; Atlas of Living Australia; Australian Government. Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.

Federal Government
Conservation Practice Job Sheet VT-315 - Giant Hogweed (PDF | 125 KB)
USDA. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
See also: Conservation Practice Information for more job sheets
Fire Effects Information System (FEIS) - Heracleum mantegazzianum
USDA. FS. Rocky Mountain Research Station. Fire Sciences Laboratory.
PLANTS Database - Giant Hogweed
USDA. NRCS. National Plant Data Center.
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System - Heracleum mantegazzianum

USDA. ARS. National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN-Global.

International Government
Giant Hogweed (PDF | 1.20 MB)

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Canada).

See also: Invasive Species Fact Sheets for more resources
State and Local Government
Fact Sheet: Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) (2014) (PDF | 334 KB)
New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food. Division of Plant Industry.
See also: New Hampshire's Prohibited Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for additional invasive trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants
Plant Pest Risk Assessment for Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum (2013) (PDF | 3.89 MB)

Oregon Department of Agriculture.

See also: Weed Resources for more risk assessments
Class A Noxious Weed: Giant Hogweed
Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board.
Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Human Health - Giant Hogweed Overview
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania: Giant Hogweed (PDF | 180 KB)

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

See also: Invasive Plant Fact Sheets for plant species (trees, shrubs, vines, herbs and aquatic plants) that have impacted the state's natural lands

King County (Washington) Noxious Weed Control Program - Giant Hogweed
King County Department of Natural Resources (Washington). Water and Land Resources Division.
Nuisance & Invasive Species - Giant Hogweed: Do Not Touch This Plant!
New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
PA Noxious Weed Alert: Giant Hogweed (PDF | 1.31 MB)
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Plant Industry.
See also: Noxious, Invasive and Poisonous Plant Program Publications for more hogweed resources
Academic
Giant Hogweed: Identification and Control (Sep 2020)

Virginia Tech; Virginia State University. Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Weed Control in Natural Areas in the Western United States: Giant Hogweed (2013) (PDF | 218 KB)
University of California. Weed Research and Information Center.
See also: Weeds in Natural Areas for more information sheets
New York Sea Grant Fact Sheet - Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) - Poisonous Invader of the Northeast (Aug 2009) (PDF | 888 KB)
New York Sea Grant.
See also: Aquatic Invasive Species: Publications
The Infamous Giant Hogweed (Jan 2008)
Purdue University Extension. Weed Science.

Citations

  • Gucker, C.L. 2009. Heracleum mantegazzianum. In: Fire Effects Information System. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.

  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Heracleum mantegazzianum. [Accessed Mar 19, 2015].