It almost looks evil: Beware the giant hogweed this summer
Beware the giant hogweed this summer.
So warned the state Department of Environmental Conservation on Monday, encouraging residents to report sightings of what might be the nastiest and most alluring weed in New York. The plant is so dangerous that the DEC has a Giant Hogweed Hotline at (845) 256-3111.
Named after Heracles, the Greek god of strength, the giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) contains sap so toxic that it has been known to burn and temporarily blind those who come into contact with it. Most commonly, it causes severe eye and skin irritation and painful blistering.
Just brushing up against this relative of carrots and parsnips can trigger the release of the sap, whose photosensitizing furanocoumarins cause the skin to become hypersensitive to the sun's ultraviolet rays. In other words, it prevents the skin from protecting itself from sunlight.
The "giant" in its name is apropos because giant hogweed is a monster whose stalk can grow to 14 feet high and its leaves up to 5 feet wide. Its most attractive feature — white, umbrella-like flower heads that have been said to resemble Queen Anne's lace on steroids — can bloom to more than 2 feet in diameter.
But resist those blooms and give giant hogweed a wide berth. Exterminating the invasive species is a priority for the DEC, whose workers wear protective gear akin to hazmat suits to remove the plant and treat the site with herbicides.
Originally from the mountains of Central Asia, giant hogweed debuted in North America in 1917 in New York as an exotic ornamental plant. The weed has gone hog-wild ever since, spreading across the state and the northern United States.
Most giant hogweed sightings in New York have been in the western part of the state, where the DEC has recorded dozens of sites containing more than 400 of the alien plant.
