Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Hogweed ,,,Dont touch this plant it can be cause of blindness

A Giant Hogweed flower in close-up. Do not touch!

Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum, also giant cow parsley) is a plant in the family Apiaceae. It typically grows to heights of 2–5 metres (6 ft 7 in–16 ft 5 in), sometimes reaching 7 metres (23 ft). Except for size, it closely resembles Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), Heracleum sosnowskyi or Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica). It is phototoxic and considered to be a noxious weed in many jurisdictions.

Its sap, in combination with moisture and sunlight, can cause severe skin and eye irritation, painful blistering, permanent scarring and blindness. Contact between the skin and the sap of this plant occurs either through brushing against the bristles on the stem or breaking the stem or leaves.

Giant hogweed makes an impressive appearance because of its height, and the size of the leaves and flower clusters. But it may spell trouble for people who are sensitive to the plant sap, a clear and watery fluid. The combination of sap on the skin and exposure to sunlight can produce painful, burning blisters within 24-48 hours. Contact with the plant sap can also result in purple or black scars.
The tall weed, brought to New York in the 1800s, features thick stalks and a strong sap that could leave skin with serious burns and scarring. Recently, the weed has been responsible for injuries in a posh Long Island neighborhood.This plant poses a serious health threat; see your physician if you think you have been burned by giant hogweed. If you think you have giant hogweed on your property, do NOT touch it."Seemingly overnight, the plant has become one of the most talked-about natural entities in the nation. Reports of the weed spreading across New York state has raised safety concerns, according to seattlepi.com partner the Albany-Times Union.Take the Hogweed which related to the true story in the press at the time about how the plant – Giant Hogweed – imported from Russia in Victorian times had become rampant thru the British countryside.”If the sap gets on your skin and it's exposed to sunlight . . . you end up with third-degree burns, oozing and scars," Naja Kraus, the DEC's Giant Hogweed Program coordinatorHogweed can be dangerous because it causes burning of the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light. People can become affected by the sap from the plant which occurs either through”brushing against the bristles on the stem or breaking the stem  or leaves,”   ca

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