Common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) belongs to the umbel family (Umbelliferae or Apiaceae). The plant is native to Europe.
It is a 90-150 cm tall (with outliers up to two metres), perennial plant, common along dykes and roads and in hay meadows. The plant is roughly hairy and has triple-finned to finned leaves. The stem is lacy and grooved. Common hogweed blooms from June to October with white flowers in polyhedral umbels. The under-standing ovary is two-lobed with two styles. The styles have a cushion at the base. The winged fruit is a two-part split fruit with single-seeded achenes.
Common hogweed is mainly found in nitrogen-rich, moist soil in both full sun and semi-shade. It grows on grasslands, woodlands, in forests and in weedy vegetation. This photo was taken on the outskirts of the city of Groningen, in Summer 2023.
1968. Lives on the edge of the most beautiful city in the Netherlands. Works at the limits of knowing. Photographs regularly since 2000, preferably with a tripod and seas of time. Makes 1000 photos to delete 950 photos. Camping, under the motto of "a holiday without sea and.. Read more…