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Return Of The Giant Hogweed

EnolaGaia said:
It may well be that lethality has at least sometimes been attributed to hogweed because it's a member of the parsnip family, which includes several quite poisonous plants.
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I have read that you can eradicate giant hogweed by repeatedly grazing sheep on it. Sheep seem to like it because it has a high protein content.
https://invasivespeciesscot.home.blog/2019/06/25/hogweed-munching-sheep-at-work/

I went and looked in my trusty old book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Die-Gift-Arzneipflanzen-von-Mitteleuropa/dp/3825323722
… and it's not in there. Strange ...
 
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It's a danger in Ireland again, sounds as bad as Triffids.

A GP is warning the public about the dangers of a giant weed which can result in serious burns resulting in hospitalisation.

Dr Justin Kwong said he has dealt with several cases so far this summer and feels it is important to warn people about the dangers of giant hogweed.

Giant hogweed is widespread around Ireland at this time of the year and is usually found around areas which are quite sunny, which have moist soil. It is also found in bogs, fens, grasslands, woodland, urban, agricultural and horticultural areas. The weed can grow up to a maximum of 12ft or up to 5m in height with clumps of white flowers.

Initially, the species was brought to Ireland as an ornamental plant of parks and gardens. Its seeds can travel on the wind and in water, meaning that it can travel relatively easily in the right conditions. It may be unintentionally spread further by contaminated soil.

Dr Kwong said: “The sap is toxic and can cause severe burns and blisters on the skin that can last for a long time and will be extremely sensitive to sunlight.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40334396.html
 
Is it just me hearing the Genesis song throughout this thread? I am always a bit wary of stories telling us how dreadful/dangerous/impossible to kill hogweed or knotweed is, as it seems to be associated with companies offering to eradicate said plants for a large fee. We need to treat some plants with respect and children need to know which ones can hurt or kill you and if they aren’t sure, to leave them alone.
 
ramonmercado said:
It's a danger in Ireland again, sounds as bad as Triffids.

A GP is warning the public about the dangers of a giant weed which can result in serious burns resulting in hospitalisation.

Dr Justin Kwong said he has dealt with several cases so far this summer and feels it is important to warn people about the dangers of giant hogweed.

Giant hogweed is widespread around Ireland at this time of the year and is usually found around areas which are quite sunny, which have moist soil. It is also found in bogs, fens, grasslands, woodland, urban, agricultural and horticultural areas. The weed can grow up to a maximum of 12ft or up to 5m in height with clumps of white flowers.

Initially, the species was brought to Ireland as an ornamental plant of parks and gardens. Its seeds can travel on the wind and in water, meaning that it can travel relatively easily in the right conditions. It may be unintentionally spread further by contaminated soil.

Dr Kwong said: “The sap is toxic and can cause severe burns and blisters on the skin that can last for a long time and will be extremely sensitive to sunlight.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40334396.html
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My best buddies brother ran into some while deer hunting. He had a nasty time with it. And besides they look awful, a very ungainly plant.
 

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JamesWhitehead said:
Youtube is spying on me again.

At least, this recommendation is quite sensible!

Ten most poisonous plants in the UK. It is handy to see them, as they actually appear, since botanical guides are often hard to square with examples in the field! :)
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I came across a Giant Hogweed Plant a few years ago in the front garden of a house not far from a small pond.
This particular Hogweed was easily 20 foot tall, it was enormous, and I thought to myself didn't the owner of the house question why this 'weed' was so large... unless they were just letting it grow on because it was eye-catching in it's size. As I passed by the property, I wondered how long it would take before lots of spores would eventually reach the pond and transfer new plants further on downstream?
 
Rushfan62 said:
There's some by the river near me. Unlikely to be disturbed however, you'd most likely end up in the river if you went up to it. Very steep.
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I also noted that walking along a local canal tow path a couple of weeks ago, they were growing in profusion all along it's banks. Someone seems to have recognised them and been belting them down with something, though I don't believe that'll keep them at bay for long!
 
Sid said:
I came across a Giant Hogweed Plant a few years ago in the front garden of a house not far from a small pond.
This particular Hogweed was easily 20 foot tall, it was enormous, and I thought to myself didn't the owner of the house question why this 'weed' was so large... unless they were just letting it grow on because it was eye-catching in it's size. As I passed by the property, I wondered how long it would take before lots of spores would eventually reach the pond and transfer new plants further on downstream?
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I think you're supposed to report it to somebody.
 
Hector the spaniel in possible Giant Hogweed encounter

The cocker spaniel was snuffling around in long grass in Port Seton, East Lothian when it’s thought he encountered giant hogweed.
When the dog emerged from the grass, it was clear something wasn’t right.

Not long after two-year-old Hector touched the toxic plant, his face began to swell, and he ended up going into anaphylactic shock.

‘He has been in there on countless occasions but this time it was very different. As soon as he came out he just didn’t look right, and he was pawing furiously at his face.

‘After a few minutes his face was almost twice its normal size, and he went into anaphylactic shock and spent all afternoon in the vets on an IV drip

The pooch was rushed to a nearby vet where he spent roughly five hours being treated.

‘Fortunately, we got Hector to the vets in time, and he is now recovering from his ordeal at home with antihistamine medication.
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The trick is to identify it ... apart from actually touching the sap and going into sunlight.
You've got cow parsley, cow parsnip, hemlock (of course), giant cow parsley etc. etc. and, ultimately hogweeds.

The wikipedia article wasn't particulary helpful - ""Cow parsley" redirects here. Not to be confused with giant cow parsley (Heracleum mantegazzianum), cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum), or French cow parsley (Orlaya grandiflora)." - and the descriptions of all of them rely on personal opinion of what purple blotches are like as opposed to purple 'flushes' and purple 'spots'.
For instance, under the description on Wikipedia of conium (hemlock) the stem "[...] is striated and light green; however, the coloring varies by species and variety. Some express purple blotching throughout, some have purple blotching localized near the base, and others have no markings at all."

We've got a lot of ... one of these plants. The only thing I can say is, it hasn't caused any rashes.
 
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