Giant Hogweed, A Noxious Toxic Weed

[thesidekickcat]

I heard about this dangerous weed on the noon news today, thought others ought to be warned about it. Several states from Oreogn, Washington, even Michigan, New York and other states too. Also Great Britain and Canada (British Columbia) have problem areas with it.

The news showed pictures of the plant, which does look rather pretty, and pictures of people who have been victims of the sap burning them and leaving awful looking painful adhesions and scars for several years after contact. This sounds and even looks like something out of a sci-fi movie, but is a real noxious toxic weed.

King County Washington Identification of Giant Hogweed

Giant Hogweed - A Noxious plant - info including how it grows and how to get rid of it

Watch out when you see this to protect yourself from the bad burns you could get from this plant.

I forgot to give a link that tells about the burns, and shows some of the pictures I saw on the news today.

Giant Hogweed Burns

Pat

God bless everyone

Edited June 1, 2006 by thesidekickcat

[blim]

Wow!.....and it's really pretty, too. Thanks, Pat, I've never seen it up here, but now I know what to look for!

Liz

[bozodog]

Noooo, I'm photo sensitive enough.... Haven't seen it around here either, but I'm going to start watching more carefully. It's not good that it spreads so quickly and knocks out indigenous plants around water.

Edited June 2, 2006 by bozodog

[TheTerrorist_75]

We have a crap load of it in Central NY.

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets

Giant Hogweed Overview

Gardeners, landscapers, farmers, hikers and others who spend time outdoors are being urged by the state agriculture department of New York to watch out for an invasive, noxious weed that has been found in New York. The giant hogweed, a native plant of the Caucasus region of central Asia and found in western and central New York can grow to 15 feet tall. The sap can cause severe skin irritation, blisters and swelling and contact with the eyes can cause temporary or permanent blindness.

The giant hogweed was introduced into the United States as an ornamental plant and has become established in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington State. Infestations have also been reported in Maine, Michigan and Washington D.C., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

The plant can be spectacular, growing up to 15 feet tall with four-inch stems that have purple splotches and leaves five feet across at its base. It has large umbrella-shaped flowers. The plant has been irresistible to some gardeners who have imported it to grow in their gardens. It has big seeds and is also spread by birds, but the main culprits are gardeners."

A similar related species, cow parsnip, is often mistaken for giant hogweed. Cow parsnip differs in that it reaches a maximum height of six feet and has no purple on its stems. Giant hogweed seeds are used in a Middle Eastern spice called golpar.

It is important to remove giant hogweed wherever it is found. The potential consequences if this plant becomes as common as other introduced weed pests such as Japanese bamboo or purple loosestrife are physical dangers including blindness and scarring.

Once established, giant hogweed is difficult to control without chemicals. Cutting off flower heads will prevent this season's seeds from forming, but the root can send up new shoots every year and the roots can spread.

[JDoors]

Giant Hogweed is originally from Asia and was introduced as an ornamental.

Will we EVER learn? Then someone will find a bug that kills the plant, then we'll need a lizard that eats the bugs, then we need a shovel to dig us out of the hole we dug.

This just breaks my heart (in spite of the brave smile):