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possible giant hogweed #942137

Asked August 11, 2026, 11:41 AM EDT

Here are photos of a plant that has volunteered for my garden. It is taller than the others. It has some of the characteristics of a giant hogweed, but has not yet bloomed.

How can I find out whether this might be giant hogweed?

Montgomery County Maryland

Expert Response

This is not Giant Hogweed, whose leaves, stature, and flower buds all look different from the plant pictured. (You can see some examples of hogweed leaves and flowers on the linked page. Giant Hogweed is about twice the size of the pictured plant, if not much larger.) This weed looks like American Burnweed, a native annual that is fairly common in landscapes. It should be fairly easy to pull up, or you could just cut it down as it's unlikely to regrow much (if at all), being an annual plant that will die off once we get autumn freezes.

Miri
Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied August 11, 2026, 1:26 PM EDT

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