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Toxic☠️ To avoid

🔥 Giant Hogweed

Heracleum mantegazzianum · Apiaceae

🌳 Temperate Europe
🧠 To remember it“Giant by the river, burns in the sun” — never leave skin exposed near an umbellifer over 2 meters tall.
Giant Hogweed — Heracleum mantegazzianum

🔍 Identify it without mistakes

Invasive giant umbellifer native to the Caucasus, reaching over 3 meters tall. Its sap contains phototoxic substances that cause severe burns and blisters when skin contacts it and is subsequently exposed to sunlight, potentially leaving scars for years. The main danger is not ingestion, but simple skin contact followed by sun exposure.

  1. impressive height, 2 to 5 m, thick stem (5-10 cm in diameter) spotted with purple and covered in stiff hairs
  2. enormous, deeply divided leaves that can exceed 1 m in width
  3. huge terminal white umbel reaching up to 50-80 cm in diameter
  4. clear sap that becomes phototoxic upon contact with UV light
Size2 à 5 m
Floweringjuin-juillet
Habitatriverbanks, damp wasteland, embankments, expanding invasively across temperate Europe

⚠️ Not to be confused with

Hogweed (itself mildly phototoxic, but far less dangerous) (Heracleum sphondylium)lower phototoxicity, but real

To tell them apart: giant hogweed is significantly taller (2 to 5 m compared to 1 to 2 m), with a thicker stem spotted with dark purple and much more deeply divided, sharp leaves

Garden angelica or lovage (Angelica archangelica / Levisticum officinale)none for these edible plants

To tell them apart: none of these plants reach the size of giant hogweed; if in doubt about a giant umbellifer, avoid prolonged skin contact without protection

Garden angelica (Angelica archangelica)giant hogweed causes severe photosensitizing burns upon contact

To tell them apart: giant hogweed is significantly taller (up to 5 m), its leaves are broader and less finely divided, and its stem features purple spots and stiff hairs

☠️ What kills

nomPhototoxic furocoumarins (psoralens), present in the sap throughout the plant
dose letale estimeenot applicable via typical ingestion (the primary danger is cutaneous); contact with the sap followed by sun exposure is enough to trigger severe burns over large areas of skin
delai24 to 48 hours after contact and sun exposure for blisters to appear
symptomesredness followed by large blisters resembling second-degree burns, severe pain, residual brown pigmentation that can persist for months or even years; risk of corneal damage if eyes are contacted
antidoteno antidote; treatment for phototoxic burns (immediate sun protection of the area, local skin care, sometimes hospitalization for widespread burns)
morts documenteesno — the known toxicity is cutaneous and not lethal in itself, but burns can be extremely debilitating and disfiguring (long-lasting scars, risk of secondary infection)

First steps : Wash the contact area thoroughly with soap and water, protect it completely from the sun for several days (covering clothing, total sunblock), and consult a doctor or poison control center if blisters are extensive or if eyes are affected. Never cut the plant without gloves, long sleeves, and eye protection.

Sources (3)

No entry replaces a certain identification in the field, or medical advice. When in doubt: don't eat it. If ingestion is suspected: poison control or 112/911.