Giant Hogweed
Keep children away from this plant. Wear protective clothing when handling it if you dig plants; consider wearing eye protection. Giant hogweed is a perennial which takes several years from germination to produce the first flowering stalk, but once established it is ferocious.
Giant Hogweed is a phototoxic plant. Its sap can cause photodermatitis, skin inflammations when the skin is exposed to sunlight or to UV-rays. Initially the skin colours red and starts itching. Then blisters form as in burns within 48 hours. They form black or purplish scars, which can last several years. Hospitalisation may become necessary. Presence of minute amounts of sap in the eyes, can lead to temporary or even permanent blindness.
Giant hogweed is a member of the parsley or carrot family, Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). As its name indicates, it is characterized by its size and may grow 15 to 20 feet tall. Giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus mountains and southwestern Asia.
Giant hogweed has been introduced to Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States as a garden curiosity. Because of its tenacious and invasive nature it soon becomes a pest within the ornamental garden and readily escapes. It has naturalized in many of the places where it was first introduced.
Habitat: Giant hogweed may colonize a wide variety of habitats but is most common along roadsides, other rights-of-way, vacant lots, streams, and rivers. Because giant hogweed often grows in wet areas, we are considering it to be an invasive freshwater weed. |