Maine Ag Dept. advises not to panic about giant hogweed AUGUSTA
— Giant hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum, a large, invasive
plant whose sap can cause severe skin irritation, has been
getting a lot of attention in Maine news recently. As a result,
the Maine Department of Agriculture has been receiving numerous
calls from individuals who think they have identified the plant
in their area. Fortunately, with very few exceptions, this is
not the case. "Almost all of the calls turned out to be cow
parsnip and not giant hogweed," said Maine State Horticulturist
Ann Gibbs. "From the more than 50 inquiries that have come in so
far, we have identified only two sites with giant hogweed." Most
of the reports are for cow parsnip, Heracleum maximum, a close
relative of giant hogweed native to North America and quite
common, especially in coastal areas, Gibbs said. A significant
difference between the two plants is that cow parsnip appears to
flower earlier than giant hogweed. "So if you are seeing plants
now with an emerg