Hogweed - Heracleum sphondylium
Stout medium to tall rather bristly plant. Stem hollow and ridged. Leaves pinnate, often with 5 broad, lobed and toothed segments. Upper leaves with large inflated bases. Flowers white 5 to 10 mm in large umbels up to 15 cm across with 12 to 25 rays. Petals of outer flowers very unequal.
Tall, hairy, coarse plant. Some specimens can have leaves with narrow leaflets. Flattened seeds
Hedgebanks, rough grassland and roadside verges.
April to September.
Biennial or short lived perennial.
Common throughout much of Britain.
Very common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 605 of the 617 tetrads.
In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Native, frequent
Barbara Cooper
Long Clawson
03 June 2024
GHunt
Oadby Pool
15 June 2023
David Nicholls
Thornton Reservoir
05 June 2012
David Nicholls
Wirlybones Wood
31 May 2013
Mike Higgott
Anstey, North Wood 2
08 April 2023
David Gould
Narborough Bog
14 April 2017
narrow-leaved form
Ron.stevens
Broughton Astley
15 May 2011
David Nicholls
Cloud Wood
24 June 2011
David Gould
The Spearwort Fields
14 July 2018
seeds
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
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Species profile
- Common names
- Keck, Kecks, Hogweed, Cow Parsnip
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Apiales
- Family:
- Apiaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 827
- First record:
- 11/05/1992 (John Mousley;Steve Grover)
- Last record:
- 14/04/2025 (Nicholls, David)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
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Latest images
Latest records
David Nicholls
Ratby
24 May 2014
David Nicholls
Cossington Meadows
05 January 2013
David Gould
Osiers Nature Area, Braunstone
13 September 2014
David Nicholls
Ratby Village Pond
05 May 2011
David Nicholls
Bagworth Heath
19 May 2011
Ron.stevens
Broughton Astley
24 June 2011
Alan Semper
Harby, canal
06 June 2012
Alan Semper
Holwell, Browns Hill Quarry
14 July 2010
David Nicholls
Bagworth Heath Woods
16 May 2013
Charnwood123
Rothley Biodiversity Park
29 May 2023
Phytomyza heracleana
The larvae of the fly Phytomyza heracleana mine the leaves of Hogweed forming a blotch mine between two veins, which has a characteristic sieve-like appearance (where the larva has fed through the upper parenchyma).
Phytomyza spondylii/pastinacae agg.
The larvae of Phytomyza spondylii and Phytomyza pastinacae produce identical conspicuous, whitish linear mines on the leaves of their larval food plants, especially Hogweed. The mines cannot be reliably separated to species level and for this reason we treat them as an aggregate.