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The giant hogweed plant, or Heracleum mantegazzianum, is a federally-listed noxious weed that can be extremely dangerous to anyone who comes into contact with it. It contains furocoumarins, which are chemicals that can cause a serve reaction from exposure to the sun after coming into contact with the sap. Touching the sap from this plant can cause severe burns and blisters to the skin which can cause permanent purplish colored scars. If the sap is exposed to the eyes it could even cause temporary or permanent blindness. Exposure to the sap can be from touching the bristles of the plant or from breaking the stems or leaves. If you believe that you have come into contact with the sap from the plant it is advised to wash the affected area immediately with soap and water and to avoid sunlight for 48 hours.

Native to Central Asia, it was first found in the United States in Michigan in 1991. It has since spread to many other states including Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington, Oregon, Maryland, Ohio, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. It is illegal to bring the giant hogweed plant into the United States or across state lines.

The plant prefers cool, wet environments with a good amount of direct sunlight. The giant hogweed can be found growing near roadside ditches, stream banks, tree lines, open wooded areas, garbage dumps, homes, ravines, and railroads.

The giant hogweed is a part of the carrot family. It can grow to be up to fourteen feet in size. The leaves of the plant can grow up to be five feet across. The plant has large, white attractive flowers that can grow up to two and a half feet in diameter. Its hollow stems can be 2-4 inches in diameter and may be pinkish in color. There have been reports of children being burned or blinded by the plant after using the hollow stems as blow guns or telescopes.

Experts advise anyone who has seen the plant to not try and remove the plant themselves, but to call the local invasive species departments for further instructions on how to handle the plant. In New York they have set up a giant hogweed hotline and will send a fourteen-man crew to come out and remove the plant. Removal of the plant normally involves large doses of herbicides. There are also methods which include cutting the plant out by the root, which is about four inches under the ground, or by repeatedly mowing over the area. Both of these methods leave you at risk for contact with the sap.

It would be ideal for there to be a total eradication of the giant hogweed plant, but it just seems to keep spreading to more and more parts of the United States. Hopefully they find a way to stop the plant before it has spread all over the country.

Works Cited

"Giant Hogweed." Department of Environmental Conservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2014.

"Giant Hogweed." MIPC-Hogweed. MIPC, n.d. Web. 24 June 2014.

Mcmullen, Troy. "Summer Plant from Hell: Giant Hogweed Can Burn, Scar and Blind You." ABC News.

ABC News Network, 07 July 2011. Web. 24 June 2014.