Please can you identify if this is giant hogweed?

[Fivecluckyhens]

This plant is about 170 cm, apologies if the photos are not great.
thank you.

Hm think that might be common hogweed - are the stems blotchy? On common hogweed it's a smooth transition from purple to green.www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2022/06/giant-hogweed-facts/ www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2022/06/giant-hogweed-facts/]]]]

That still contains some of the same phytophototoxic compounds as giant hogweed and may cause rashes if you're exposed to it in sunlight so I'd be inclined to don gloves and get rid of it (preferably why it's not sunny).

I'd also say common hogweed, 170cm sounds about the right height for that (probably won't get much taller now it's in flower). Giant hogweed is much bigger, and the leaves look a bit different - more spiky looking.

For comparison, here is some giant hogweed that I found last year - I reported it and it was fenced off and treated.

Common hogweed almost certainly. Giant hogweed has more pointy looking tips on the leaf lobes (@Utini shows exactly what I mean) and larger inflorescences. 170cm is within range for common hogweed and on the small side for Giant hogweed which can go to 5.5m. Umbel (flowerhead) on common hogweed is usually less than 30cm, on Giant, usually more than 40cm.

I'd say probably not. But it would be helpful to have one shot of the whole plant.
I'd say it all looks a bit small for giant hogweed. But hard to tell for sure from the closeup photos.

Thank you very much for the responses. I was reasonably confident that it was a common hogweed. My husband thinks that it is a giant hogweed so is understandably concerned with its presence in the garden.
DoublePeonies, I will try and get a better image of the whole plant tomorrow.

Pootles34, no blotchy stems.

Try showing him this picture

Hello Fivecluckyhens,

I hope you find the attached pictures useful.

Happy gardening
TheSustainableGardener

Careful with removing it - I am not sure which time of year is recommended but the heads need to be bagged or the seeds will just spread. Wear thick gloves as it’s nasty stuff.

I'd get rid of it now , before it's seeded. Regardless which type of hogweed it is, I wouldn't think it's something you (or neighbours, not sure how far it spreads) want more of.

Giant hogweed is massive - and I mean HUGE. Taller than an adult, and the flower heads are about a foot across.

It is also a notifiable weed. If you think you've found one, then report it to the council.

the flower heads are about a foot across. Oh, at least. Hogweed flower heads can get to a foot across.

There is no such thing as a notifiable weed. I get so fed up explaining this to people, usually about ragwort. By all means report it to the Council if it’s on their land, they will want to remove it. But they won’t do anything on anyone else’s land.

Giant Hogweed is listed under Schedule 9 of the amended Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. You can grow it on your land, but you mustn’t let it spread on to anyone else’s, you mustn’t cause it to grow in the wild, and you have to take precautions when you seek to destroy it.

Definitely not giant hogweed. We have it in our garden despite my best efforts. It has very obvious red/brown spots all over the stems, even when they are relatively small.

The last giant hogweed I saw was up to the gutters. Your plant is a relation but not GH.

You plant is common hogweed Heracleum sphondylium

https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/heracleum-sphondylium/

Happy gardening
TheSustainableGardener

If people see it they can read up on it online for themselves. I've seen it growing several times and it has been on either council-owned land, or along river courses. Therefore if one reports it to the council, they have to come and do something about it because it is on their land, and I dare say if it isn't on their land, they will instruct whoever the landowner is so they can deal with it.

I'd rather people think they should notify some official or other. At least that way, some of it will be properly controlled and disposed of.

I just looked on a random council website (Somerset Council), which lists this, plus Japanese knotweed and a couple of other invasive species. It goes on to say, and I quote:
"If you know where these may be growing, please tell us and we will make sure it is dealt with in the appropriate manner."
So councils do want to hear about these things.

There is no such thing as a "notifiable plant", and it is a perishing nuisance having to explain that no, you are not going to do anything with this ragwort plant which is not near grazing animals and is a uk native supporting a native moth. So I would rather this myth of there being "notifiable plants" was not promulgated.

What individual councils wish to do is up to them, but they don't have any legal duty to remove Giant Hogweed, although they would clearly wish to protect users of their land, and other people on public land where GH is growing on private land but near enough to to be a threat to people not on that land.