Giant Hogweed - Public Service Announcement

[TacoMan]

Just heard about this a few weeks ago for the first time, and discovered a plant this weekend. If you hike, or like the great outdoors, please watch for this one. It is one bad muthafucka!



DO NOT TOUCH THIS PLANT - [FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]The clear watery sap of Giant hogweed contains toxins that can cause severe dermatitis. Ultraviolet radiation activates compounds in the sap resulting in severe burns when exposed to the sun. Symptoms occur within 48 hours and consist of painful blisters. Purplish scars may form that last for many years. Eye contact with the sap has been reported (in the media and by various web sites) to cause temporary or permanent blindness. Evidence of permanent blindness linked to exposure to Giant hogweed could not be found in the primary literature. Note similar effects result from exposure to the other two Cow parsnip species found in Ontario ([/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial]H. maximum [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial]and [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial]H. sphondylium[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial]) and from the widely introduced Wild parsnip ([/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial]Pastinaca sativa[/FONT][FONT=Arial,Arial]). [/FONT][/FONT]

http://www.invadingspecies.com/Invaders.cfm?A=Page&PID=31

 

[Mark P]

I had a customer who had some of these on his property and needed them disposed of so I learned up and got rid of them for him....pretty nasty plants (reminds me of triffids).

A little research shows our asian imports brought them over for garden decoration...nice eh? Them and the long horn beetle......

 

[Sudhir S]

Thanks for the warning.

 

[vordusckin]

I thought this was a warning about early 70's prog rock. :shock:

[video=youtube;SDwyBWjfFaM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwyBWjfFaM[/video]

 

[tutuy2004]

+ 1 :great:

 

[Mike S]

Now I know what to get my dickhead neighbor for christmas.

 

[oneof5]

To avoid.

 

[farnoush]

if you really wanted to be a dick you could dress up in a hazmat suit and get some of the sap on put it on the armrest of his car, lawn chair or something. They you could get him "the gift that keeps on giving" long after christmas is over lol....