Warning! Please Read.

D

DOC-CANADA

Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
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Last night, I learned about a plant that can cause serious burns and possible blindness, if handled and I thought all the W&SS people should be advised, considering the things we do.

The plant is Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) and grows in areas where many BF members live.

Here is one link about the plant.

Here is the range map from the USDA. (you have to scroll down a little bit).

There are also some other plants that can do similar things, such as some of the Euphorbias, so exercise caution when dealing with unknown plants.

Be safe out there.

Doc
 
we had discussed this in the W&SS, when someone had posted a thread asking for a plant ID.

It's also referred to as Russian Hogweed. What causes the burns is the sap getting on you, and the sap then getting exposed to (sun)light. The only way to kill hogweed is to burn it.
 
There is no plant so noxious that someone won't import it as an ornamental.
I can imagine the natives laughing as they packed this one up for shipping.
 
Wow I have seen alot of this...didnt know it was bad for you. Thanks for the heads up Doc
 
I remember play around with this plant as a kid, feeling like a adventure chopping them down in 1 chop with my old mora.
My partner in crime (kid next door did get bad rash to show for the fun we had that day) I on the other hand, did not. Despite having both arms covered in sap and plant chunks.

Now its against the law to own them and they are a big problem here in Denmark.
 
Thanks for the heads up. I'll have to keep a lookout when I go to several places I like to make trips out to.
 
As bad as it seems.... there are much worse that we could come in contact with. Plants like this give themselves away with their spiny stalks and just plain "look at me" appearance. Giant Hogweed is no joke and I'm not downplaying its potential for harm but I think the more common hidden dangers are what we really need to focus on.

When I say "worse" I am refering to potential of exposure not the severity of the symptoms. For example... Pitbull attacks are often more severe but the common Cocker Spaniel has a much worse history of unprovoked attacks.
 
Huh. That looks pretty nasty. It's fortunate that we don't have it down here. Although I doubt it could get a real toehold against the already established kudzu! Oh-- and kudzu is edible!
 
Thanks Doc, I see this stuff all the time in my areas, places like Mt Rigaud, Hawksbury Red River and ile cadieu.
 
Yeah, there is alot of those in denmark, I have been out together with my mother and groups of people and cut them down with machetes and scythes to chop them down several times in my area. You just have to have all your skin covered in clothes.
 
We had a bunch of these monsters in the park near my house a couple years ago and the park folks put caution tape around each plant and gave it a mega dose of a round-up like herbicide.

I haven't seen them come back in the past few years.
 
Yea along side the road where we do a lot of Wilderness training this stuff grows. The leaves are huge. And we have to hold people back from wanting to walk over and check 'em out or use the leaves for shingles on their debris hut.
 
Thanks for the warning Doc. It isn't listed as being in Tennessee but not all that far away either...I'll keep an eye out for it when I travel.
 
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