Giant, Toxic Invasive Weed Poses Health Risk
It’s exotic and beautiful, a 15-foot tall plant with clusters of dainty white flowers and human-sized leaves — resembling, it is often said, Queen Anne’s Lace on steroids.
But giant hogweed is an invasive species that is spreading around much of the northern United States. Even worse, its sap is extremely poisonous, with the potential to cause blistering burns and even blindness.
Now that the giant hogweed’s flowering season is here again, experts are taking the opportunity to draw people’s attention to the plant — for the sake of human health as well as for the health of the environment.
“It’s one of the few invasive species that has such a severe human health impact, and people should really know about it,” said Chuck O’Neill, coordinator of the Cornell Cooperative Extension Invasive Species Program in Ithaca, NY. “Unfortunately, I’d say 80 or 90 percent of people hiking have no idea what these plants look like.”