Many residents throughout Yamhill County have probably been noticing plants with large clusters of small white flowers and quite large leaves. But is it the native cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum) or the invasive giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)? Luckily, there are some quick ways to tell the difference!

• Giant hogweed can reach 15 feet tall, while cow parsnip only grows up to 8 feet.
• The stems of giant hogweed have maroon-red splotches of color and bristly hairs, while cow parsnip stems are fuzzy and have slightly purplish ridges.
• Giant hogweed leaves are almost spiky in shape, while cow parsnip leaves are less deeply divided.
• Flowers are clustered more tightly together on giant hogweed, and whole flowerheads can reach a diameter of 2ft. Cow parsnip flowers are more spread out, and only reach 6-10in in diameter.