Giant Hogweed is a phototoxic plant.
Its sap can cause phytophotodermatitis (severe skin inflammations) when the skin is exposed to sunlight or to ultraviolet rays.
Initially, the skin colors red and starts itching. Then blisters form as it burns within 48 hours. They form black or purplish scars that can last several years.
Hospitalization may be necessary. Presence of minute amounts of sap in the eyes can lead to temporary or even permanent blindness.
Source-wikipedia
And now this toxic plant has been found growing wild in Michigan.
You can read the full article here:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/2015/08/03/plant-can-blind-you-found-michigan/31077073/
I noticed a plant that I vaguely remembered was not good, growing on side of yard. I looked it up and found it was poison Hemlock. We discussed what to do and decided to bag it with dark garbage bags and put heavy rocks at bottom of bags. The bags are deflated so we know they are dying, won’t do anything till next year. Then we’ll probably try and just get a shovel , dig them up and discard them. Can’t burn them, pesticide doesn’t work. I suspect that it’s same for this stuff….
Hogweed is gigantic – grows over 14 feet high. I don’t believe Queen Anne’s lace grows this big. I didn’t believe it grows in California, Breanna. I thought it was just in the Eastern – mostly north – states.
Saw this plant all along the highways last month when I was in Alaska. First thought is was Queen Annes Lace, then someone said it was toxic. Sure glad I didn’t pick any!
You might find these links helpful. We live on the north side of Lake Ontario and we have both the Giant Hogweed and the Wild Parsnip in our area. Both are really nasty.
https://www.greaternapanee.com/en/services-for-you/resources/Documents/Wild-Parsnip-Information.pdf
https://www.greaternapanee.com/en/services-for-you/resources/Documents/Giant-Hogweed-Information.pdf
“Hog Weed” was reported last year in VA, and in WV, too, and I’m sure it’s in many other places. We have an inn in the southern West Virginia mountains (the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre in Landgraff, WV), and ATV here and go berry picking here in the mountains of southern WV in July; although we haven’t seen it (yet), I am sure it’s here…
Heracleum mantegazzianum – like its cousin Poison Hemlock, the Hogweed is a member of the carrot family. No doubt why I hated carrots during my entire Public School imprisonment. 🙂
I have a plant that grows tall and has (velvet like deer antlers) on the leaves,which are broad leafs and curls on the edges. Can you tell me what it is
Connie,
I really couldn’t say.
its slang is called “Lamb’s Ear ” but dont know biologic name if it is what i think. would have to see pic. if so it is a geen with white fuzzy look
There are apps for that.
Connie
It would be best if you can get a good picture of plant and go to the Cooperative Extension in your area. They have skilled people that can help you.
Mike, We have huge landscaping plants (12 years old) that need to be pruned. How low can we prune them to get a fresh start with smaller, healthier plants? Lee’s Summit, MO
Wait until late fall, after Thanksgiving is best, then just prune as needed. 99.9% of the time shrub take to heavy pruning favorably as long as they are dormant when you do it.
When I was a child in Arkansas, the plant called “hog weed” was nothing like this. it was an Amaranth. Has this plant any other names?
Pigweed is related to amaranth, this is a member of the wild carrot family
Never saw this plant.
What is the binomial botanical (i.e. 2-part scientific) name for this plant? Different regions often have the same name for totally different plants, and visa versa (different names for the same plant).
RL,
I don’t know, maybe somebody else does.
“Heracleum mantegazzianum” is the latin name and in europa we try to get rid off it
“The Hogweed — or Heracleum mantegazzianum, for you botanists — is not native to the Great Lakes State, having been introduced here from Central Asia in the 1900s to display in arboretums and gardens. The State of Michigan adopted a search-and-destroy policy toward the plant in 1998 to help keep it from spreading. It is also on the federal noxious weed list, making it illegal to sell or transport it across state lines.”
Taken directly from this article in the Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/news/2015/08/03/plant-can-blind-you-found-michigan/31077073/
The article that Mike posted at the top of this says that the plant is Heracleum mantegazzianum
I’ve never ran into these hogweed plants in south Texas but I had a blue Agave plant growing in my backyard I wanted gone.
And the nectar inside this plant will make you itch bad I felt like a thousand ants were biting me. The worst part is once you’ve made contact with the nectar it can randomly come back for up to a year!! No more agaves for me!!! Lol
I think there is some growing here in North Carolina along a lake behind our house, not for sure but flower and leaves looks just like it…….I didn’t go over to it to investigate, staying far away.:) miss donna
Call your local agricultural extension agent As SOON as POSSIBLE
Why: If it is indeed giant HOGWEED, PROFESSIONALS MUST REPEAT MUST REMOVE IT
WHY Immediately..Before it goes to seed. seeds remain viable for 15 years. IT IS IN the top 5 USA invasive weeds and is a world wide problem. Once it seeds (20,000) plus depending on size, , it really becomes a hazard to people and animals. I do not believe that birds will even eat the seeds.
Miss Donna,
Maybe consider contacting your Cooperative Extension or your state’s agricultural office
and have someone come out at take a look at it.
It is said that we have had it in this area for quite a few years (Finger Lakes Region). A few years back, our county brain trust decided that they were going to spray for it. (I live up near Lake Ontario.) Didn’t think much of it until a friend of in stopped a truck that was spraying to ask them if she had hog weed. They said she did and told her what to use. When I went over a few days later, I was seeing all these dead Queen Anne along the road and when I got to my friend’s home, she told me to make sure i watched out for that plant near her barn as it was dangerous. I asked her why she thought Queen Anne’s was dangerous. That’s when I found out that they weren’t spraying hog weed, but Queen Anne ‘ s instead. So nice that the county was handing out the wrong information, scaring the pants off of people because of it, as Queen Anne’s is common around here, then going around and killing the wrong plant.
From my experience lime juice, fig plants and celery can cause a phototoxic reaction.
Buckwheat if taken in excess quantities in green juice causes skin tingling effects
I saw that earlier this year on our local news. Thanks for the reminder! It seems that we have it growing in our area in MIchigan. Love reading all of your “gardening tips” . Don’t ever stop! Thanks, Carol
Hi Mike,
Love your emails! I live in Southern California, and I have Giant Hogweed growing in my front yard. Last year, when my husband and I bought our house, I ripped out all the hedge, and planted the “Butterfly & Hummingbird Seed Mix” I had bought from Home Depot. And this spring and summer Giant Hogweed came up in my front yard flower bed. Now I am afraid to touch it. I am a photographer…MUST BE CAREFUL. All the comments are helpful! I’ve learned so much reading your emails. Thank you!!
Mike, I need help identifying poison ivy plants. I scared of everything now and the weeds are taking over because I am afraid to touch this one and that one.
Camilla,
This will help you identify poison ivy https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2010/07/how-to-identify-poison-ivy/
The old Boy Scout saying is ” Leaves of three, leave it be”.
Thank you for letting me know about that one dangerous plant. I have grandchildren that come over all the time. Teress
Not sure if it was Hogweed. Drenched
3 times with round up –now just a brown stick.
Caledon unwilling to identify, even if I took pictures /photos to their horticultural office….they tol me to Google for info
Can u take a picture of the hogtied plant? Thx.
Photo added Marlene
Lime juice can also cause phytophotodermatitis. I used to work for a man who got severe burns on his hands as a result of juicing too many limes and being exposed to sunlight. So it’s a good idea to wear protective gloves if you’re making marguerites on a sunny day!
It’s scary that exposure to a natural substance and sunlight can cause such a serious condition. Thank you for keeping us informed!
Dear Mike, you have taught me so much over the years. Your paperback book on plant propagation is a treasure, though I wish I had just bought a transparent plastic tub instead of fiddling with an upside down fish tank. I You really are a very savvy marketer. I get a kick out of your carefully cultivated “plain old dirt farmer”bibbed image, Just waving and saying how much I love you!
Hi Mike,
I’ve read your info for a while, and I really enjoy it. I’m now living in a small apartment, and I wonder if there’s anything I can grow under lights? A bit of extra income could be quite useful.
You’ve gotta figure that with a name like hogweed the plant could be bad news. Thanks for telling us.
Donna
Donna,
I’m sure you could do some perennial seeds inside but if you really look around town you might find somebody that has a small area behind a store, in their backyard that they might let you use in exchange for you mowing the grass on the property.
Mike thanks for the warning but like most people I have no idea what the Hogweed looks like or if we have it growing in our area. Thanks for the alert though.
Giant hogweed, looks sorta like queen ann’s lace, maybe on steroids. The leaves are bigger and less ferny but the flowers are similar. The stems are very juicy, sappy. In Alaska we call it Pushki ( Russian name)and you need to be very careful in trying to clear it out of your property. I wore gloves and long sleves but touched my inner arm with my glove while removing thm and got big bad blisters. Might have been better to try strong chemicals
We also call it Cow Parsnip in Alaska, Grows everywhere here, and I mean everywhere. Thought it was kind of cute when it started making the national news (not that people get hurt), but we teach kids early on to stay away. Of course we don’t have poison ivy or poison oak here… I couldn’t tell you what they look like…
Mike,
Thanks for not forgetting about us Michiganders..and giving us this warning. . I own 2 parcels of land in mid and northern Michigan that I used for hunting, ……..a 40 and an 80.
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In many years past, when I “reforested” some open areas with tree seedlings of trees that would provide COVER ( Norway Spruces mostly ),……FOOD ( Hawthornes, ,,Juneberry, ..Oaks-( via acorns ) …..and for AESTHETICS (color, mostly) , .Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Green Ash, Juneberry, Scarlet Red Oak ( acorns ), .Burning Bush, Blue Spruce, and White Birch……I never saw anything that looked like Giant Hogweed………………….
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……………BUT,….you can be sure that we will be ever vigilant the next time we wander out into the woods.
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Thanks for the info and warning. I’ll be sure to pass it onto others.
.
Hank
Riverview, MIch
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Looks a lot like poison hemlock down to the reddish spots on the stem. Both members of the carrot family , obviously. Nasty stuff.
Hi Mike,
Another cautionary plant similar to giant hogweed is wild parsnip. The sap will cause the same type of phytophotodermatitis burns. The key is washing the sap off quickly, AND avoiding ultraviolet light. That would be the sun. The roots of wild parsnip are edible, but avoid harvesting them until you really know how. If you like parsnips, and you buy them from the artfully-trained farmer’s marketer who leaves the parsnip leaves on the parsnips, be aware that domesticated parsnip leaves are just as nasty as their wild cousins.