giant hogweed

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• cartwheel flower
• giant cow-parsnip
• giant hogweed
• Mantegazzi's Cow-Parsnip
• cartwheel-flower

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Pastinaca mantegazziana
• Heracleum grossheimii
• Heracleum circassicum

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Apiales, it is classified under the family Apiaceae. It is further identified by the genus Heracleum, specifically as the species Heracleum mantegazzianum.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a specific distribution pattern across various regions of Northern Europe. It can be found growing in the coastal and inland areas of Denmark and Finland. The species also extends its range to the islands of Føroyar and Iceland. Additionally, its presence is documented within the landscape of Great Britain. These locations collectively define the northern geographical boundaries of this medicinal species.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Heracleum mantegazianum is characterized by its preference for specific environmental niches, primarily flourishing within forest environments, along forest edges, and across open meadows. These habitats provide the necessary structural complexity and light availability required for its growth patterns. In terms of its symbiotic relationships with soil fungi, this species does not exhibit mycorrhizal associations, meaning it does not form a mycorrhiza with the surrounding soil biota to facilitate nutrient uptake.

Habitat :

forest, forest edges, meadows

Mycorrhiza :

no

Life history

The life history of Heracleum mantegazzianum is characterized by its classification as a perennial species, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. As a hemicryptophyte, its perennable buds are located at or near the soil surface, protected by leaf litter or organic debris during unfavorable conditions. The plant exhibits a deciduous nature, shedding its foliage as it transitions through its seasonal cycles.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

hemicryptophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Heracleum mantegazzianum is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb, specifically classified as a forb. This self-supporting plant is terrestrial in nature and functions as an independent organism, rather than acting as a parasite or an epiphyte. It exhibits a significant stature, with a plant height that typically ranges from a minimum of 1 m to a maximum of 3 m, maintaining an average height of approximately 2.175 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

3 m

Plant height mean:

2.175 m

Plant height min:

1 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Heracleum mantegazzianum is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, a common metabolic strategy for plants in temperate or mountainous environments that rely on the enzyme Rubisco for carbon fixation. As a non-carnivorous species, it derives its essential nutrients directly from the soil rather than through the capture of prey, and it lacks the ability to act as a nitrogen fixer, meaning it depends on available soil nitrates and ammonium for its nitrogen requirements. The plant exhibits significant vegetative development, with leaf lengths reaching a maximum of 75 cm and an average leaf size of approximately 3322.49727 cm². These large leaf surfaces are supported by a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 301.4 cm²/g, a physiological metric that indicates a relatively high leaf area per unit of dry mass, suggesting an adaptation for efficient light interception and rapid growth within its ecological niche.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf length max:

75 cm

Leaf size mean:

3322.49727 cm²

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

301.4 cm²/g

Reproduction

The reproduction of Heracleum mantegazzianum is characterized by a monocarp life cycle, meaning the plant completes its reproductive process before dying, and it lacks any form of asexual reproduction. The flowering period typically commences in July and concludes in September. Pollination is a biotic process primarily driven by insects. Following successful fertilization, which can occur through self-fertilization, the plant produces fruits with an average length of 1 cm. The resulting seeds are uniform in size, with a consistent length of 10 mm, a width of 0.75 mm, and a mean mass of approximately 0.011147 g (with recorded minimum and maximum mass values around 0.00992 g). The dispersal syndrome is classified as unspecialized, suggesting that the seeds are not adapted to a specific highly specialized method of movement.

Dispersal syndrome :

unspecialized

Flowering time :

Jul

Flowering time :

Sep

Fruit length mean:

1 cm

Monocarpy :

monocarp

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Seed length mean:

10 mm

Seed mass max:

0.00992 g

Seed mass mean:

0.011147 g

Seed width mean:

0.75 mm

Self fertilization :

present

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Heracleum mantegazzianum has 11 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include IMPERATORIN, N-octanol, Phellopterin, XANTHOTOXIN, n-Hexyl 2-methylbutanoate.

IMPERATORIN

1. Food chemistry

N-octanol

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

Phellopterin

1. Food chemistry

XANTHOTOXIN

1. Food chemistry

n-Hexyl 2-methylbutanoate

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

n-Hexyl acetate

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

n-Hexyl isobutanoate

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

n-Octyl acetate

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

n-Octyl butanoate

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

n-octyl 2-methylbutanoate

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association

Activities

Heracleum mantegazzianum has 1 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antimicrobial.

Antimicrobial

1. Food chemistry

Preparations

Heracleum mantegazzianum has 1 reported preparations identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include essential oil.

Essential oil

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association