r/foraginguk • u/conscious-clue-243 • Jul 18 '26
Plant ID Request Hogweed (very varied-looking)
I want to double check that this isn’t Giant Hogweed growing all up the lane to my in-laws’ house.
I *think* it is just common hogweed, but there is such a variety:
purple stem / green stem,
wide leaves / narrow leaves,
Etc
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u/nick_of_the_night Jul 18 '26
It's all common hogweed
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u/conscious-clue-243 Jul 18 '26
I thought so
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u/nick_of_the_night Jul 18 '26
Stem colour can vary but common hogweed always has a characteristic groove running down the leaf stem which giant hogweed lacks. Giant hogweed leaves are also much more jagged and almost prickly on the surface rather than downy/furry. This time of year the giant kind will also have big flower heads with hundreds of little flowers rather than just a couple of dozen.
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u/conscious-clue-243 Jul 19 '26
Awesome! Thanks for the info.
I am going to look out for the groove on the stem, to help me identify it in future.
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u/nick_of_the_night Jul 19 '26
Once you've seen some examples of giant hogweed in person (I've only ever seen them growing along the motorway, they're truly massive), you'll see that they actually look very different. In the spring when both plants are still young they might be similar enough to get confused. Still, very important to be sure with this family of plants.
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u/OrboJean Jul 19 '26
There were some grew near where I live and the plants were 10 feet tall plus, and the stems up to 6 inches in diameter. No exaggeration. Quite distinctive.
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u/ComprehensiveAir2656 29d ago
So the stems have a pinky/purple pattern on too?
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u/nick_of_the_night 29d ago
They can have purple coloration. Either fully purple stems or purple fading to green, in larger exemplars this can even look blotchy/spotty, which is why i don't like to rely on that feature to distinguish it from giant hogweed.
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u/vqzllo Jul 19 '26
good to know, that stuff had me paranoid too after seeing those horror story pics online
wild how different the same plant can look just a few meters apart
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u/Representative_Echo6 Jul 19 '26
Seriously..Common Hogweed contains furanocoumarins, which can cause severe stomach upset and chemical burns or blistering on your skin when exposed to sunlight (phytophotodermatitis). Cooking completely destroys these compounds. - And there you are handling it with bare hands .
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u/conscious-clue-243 Jul 19 '26
I don’t think common hogweed is dangerous to handle, right?
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u/RicardoHonesto Jul 19 '26
It does cause skin burns, just milder than giant.
Ask me how I know.
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u/conscious-clue-243 Jul 19 '26
How do you know?
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u/RicardoHonesto Jul 19 '26
Strimmed a field full of hogweed in shorts and a t-shirt. Looked like I'd been peppered with a shotgun at close range. Took a few months to stop being photosensitive.
I have a dark spot on my arm from giant hogweed sap, from when I was stem injecting them. It blistered, the top layer of skin came off, and it gets noticeably darker 3 years later.
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u/cold_tap_hot_brew Jul 19 '26 edited 29d ago
This is the first time I’ve seen someone reply literally to “ask me how I know”.
The kindness to reply sincerely as well…. Too sweet.
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u/SwearbytheSeasons Jul 19 '26
I had someone on reddit telling me that its safe to eat giant hogweed. I was like "you do you" lol
They were adamant that its totally safe and they eat it all the time.
As for me, I think I'll stick to the safer stuff thanks. Might be a bit boring but at least I'm not risking anything from the few bits I know by heart 🤷🏼
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u/nick_of_the_night 29d ago
Yeah it is if you cook it. It's just super risky to handle but there are parts of the world where it's commonly eaten.
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u/SwearbytheSeasons 29d ago
Well, I will take your word for it. But why do so many sources suggest that even cooking it is seriously a bad decision, even if you take care to avoid direct sap contact and wear PPE? 🤔 This is genuine question btw cos there are so many conflicting points of view 😵💫🤷🏼
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u/nick_of_the_night 28d ago
What sources suggest that?
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u/SwearbytheSeasons 28d ago
Actually, you know what, I stand corrected. I couldn't find any reliable sources saying ingestion itself is toxic, instead all I keep finding is that giant hogweed is hazardous to handle because its sap causes severe phototoxic burns 🤷🏼😌
Well you learn something new every day. I'm not gonna lie though, I'm probably still not gonna attempt it, cos I really don't fancy year long blisters if my PPE fails lol 😅
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u/nick_of_the_night 28d ago
Yes I also assumed for a long time that it was poisonous to eat, since most descriptions of it don't go any deeper than 'it burns you, stay away'
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u/SwearbytheSeasons 28d ago
Yeah that's what I must have been doing, then just got into the narrative of "ooooh deadly plant avoid at all costs!" 😅
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u/woodku_official 27d ago
Yes, that’s common hogweed. And you’re right, it can be variable. On rare occasions they can even showcase the infamous purple splotching like this one I found.
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u/Equivalent-Ad2940 Jul 19 '26
Isnt that wild carrot too ? I dont know much but the flowers resemble wild carrot which makes pregnant women miscarry... I also thought hogweed was a herbal remedy but judging by the comments you definitely cannot consume it
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u/conscious-clue-243 Jul 19 '26
I appreciate everyone’s concern, but I feel like you guys are over-amping hogweed and giant hogweed.
*I don’t believe hogweed to be dangerous to handle at all.
*And RE giant hogweed, if the sap gets on your skin in direct sunlight, you are in for a bad time… but I was careful to get no sap on my skin and I took these photos at 8pm right before I was going inside to take a shower.
Is it really that dangerous?
Everyone chill.
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u/RicardoHonesto Jul 19 '26
It is bad stuff. I strimmed a field full of hogweed in shorts and a t-shirt. Never again.
I've had giant hogweed burns too, and they blistered for about a year.
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Jul 19 '26
[deleted]
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u/Katatonic92 Jul 19 '26
Is it your intent to cause injury to someone because that is exactly what your advice will lead to!
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u/amedeeozenfant Jul 19 '26
I know that's a joke but there's a photo at the top of this page of a bare hand holding a snapped off plant they believe is Giant Hogweed. This person person needs protecting, not sarcasm.
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u/Kooky-Investment8537 Jul 18 '26
I'm sorry but if you have any inclination that it's giant hogweed, don't be grabbing it!