Still Waters Posted June 18, 2018 #1 Share Posted June 18, 2018 If Hollywood wanted to make a movie about a horrifying plant invasion, giant hogweeds would make a great candidate for the lead role - they are absolutely massive, incredibly toxic, and readily spread wherever their seeds take root. Listed as a noxious weed in at least eight states, last week the giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) was spotted in Virginia for the first time. According to reports from the Massey Herbarium at Virginia Tech university, about 30 of these towering plants have been found in Clarke County, and locals are warned to keep an eye out for sightings. https://www.sciencealert.com/invasive-toxic-giant-hogweed-burns-skin-blindness-virginia-clarke-county 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piney Posted June 18, 2018 #2 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Controlled burns using a drip torch would be the best solution. Of course I would be wearing my fire gear and Scott pack because sap that potent would carry in the smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Silver Thong Posted June 18, 2018 #3 Share Posted June 18, 2018 I wouldn't know that plant from a hole in the ground. I would probably walk right through and never know. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aniknonymous Posted June 18, 2018 #4 Share Posted June 18, 2018 i mean.... advertise it as meth 2.0 and job is done. it will become extinct within a week (among other things) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted June 18, 2018 #5 Share Posted June 18, 2018 13 minutes ago, seanjo said: Is it edible? Maybe to hogs.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rashore Posted June 18, 2018 #6 Share Posted June 18, 2018 20 minutes ago, seanjo said: Is it edible? No. In some places to clear out this noxious plant.. folks do things like dress up in hazmat protection and bag up the plants, kind of like they do for asbestos removal. Generally warnings of plants being newly found like in the OP, people are advised to not touch the plant in any way, but rather to call in authorities for removal. This lets authorities track the new wave moving in and safely remove the plant. In areas that have more widespread and known infestations.. and I'm hazarding a guess that Piney has lived in such areas... a more common practice is to burn off/cull off the plants in their patches as they come up to really, really kill the area off. And when burning off fields while encountering the stuff, head to toe coverings of the fireproof and giant hogweed proof kind are recommended. They are magnificent plants that can grow over 6 feet tall with huge white umbrellas of blossoms aloft on hairy jointed thick stems over plush wide attractive foliage. But rather dangerous. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted June 18, 2018 #7 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Why are they dangerous? To indigenous plants or to humans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Waters Posted June 18, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted June 18, 2018 9 minutes ago, pallidin said: Why are they dangerous? To indigenous plants or to humans? It tells you in the link in my OP. We have them in Britain too and they're a devil to get rid of. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=458 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted June 18, 2018 #9 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Ah, thanks. From the article you linked: ...as it is potentially invasive and the sap can cause severe skin burns. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted June 18, 2018 #10 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Dang, nasty plant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunzilla Posted June 18, 2018 #11 Share Posted June 18, 2018 They can also cause blindness. So it's really in everyone's best interests to learn what these things look like so that it can be avoided, reported to the authorities and removed. Sadly, the last I heard, the Canadian government doesn't remove these for free like the American government does / did. Which is not a great way to eradicate a dangerous and invasive species. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toast Posted June 18, 2018 #12 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Nature strikes back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+susieice Posted June 18, 2018 #13 Share Posted June 18, 2018 Found this article. If you live in the northeast, mid-atlantic, beware. https://www.lohud.com/story/news/health/2018/06/18/giant-hogweed-weed-blindness-westchester-putnam-burns/710187002/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted June 19, 2018 #14 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Does it help if one "flames" the flower tops?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted June 19, 2018 #15 Share Posted June 19, 2018 35 minutes ago, pallidin said: Does it help if one "flames" the flower tops?? They have a rigorous tap root system. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flabbins Posted June 19, 2018 #16 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Sounds like something from Harry POTTER 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rashore Posted June 19, 2018 #17 Share Posted June 19, 2018 And to think.. the only reason why it's in the U.S. at all was because it was brought in as a landscaping plant. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Silver Thong Posted June 19, 2018 #18 Share Posted June 19, 2018 This hogweed plant only grows in 2 % of north america so don't be to worried Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hammerclaw Posted June 19, 2018 #19 Share Posted June 19, 2018 13 minutes ago, The Silver Thong said: This hogweed plant only grows in 2 % of north america so don't be to worried Until that comets shows up and blinds everybody and the darn things start walking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Silver Thong Posted June 19, 2018 #20 Share Posted June 19, 2018 13 minutes ago, Hammerclaw said: Until that comets shows up and blinds everybody and the darn things start walking. Your right. I shot a tree last year with my crossbow and it kept growing. I lost that arrow as I couldn't pull it out. We are doomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Hammerclaw Posted June 19, 2018 #21 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essan Posted June 19, 2018 #22 Share Posted June 19, 2018 Genesis warned us! Turn and run Nothing can stop them Around every river and canal Their power is growing Stamp them out We must destroy them They infiltrate each city With their thick dark warning odour They are invincible They seem immune to all our herbicidal battering Long ago in the Russian hills A Victorian explorer found The regal Hogweed by a marsh He captured it and brought it home Botanical creature stirs Seeking revenge Royal beast did not forget He came home to London And made a present of the Hogweed To the Royal Gardens at Kew Waste no time They are approaching Hurry now, we must protect ourselves And find some shelter Strike by night They are defenseless They all need the sun To photosensitize their venom Still they're invincible Still they're immune to all our herbicidal battering Fashionable country gentlemen Had some cultivated wild gardens In which they innocently planted The Giant Hogweed throughout the land Botanical creature stirs Seeking revenge Royal beast did not forget Soon they escaped, spreading their seed Preparing for an onslaught Threatening the human race Mighty Hogweed is avenged Human bodies soon will know our anger Kill them with your hogweed hairs Heracleum Mantegazziani Giant Hogweed lives! http://lyrics.wikia.com/wiki/Genesis:The_Return_Of_The_Giant_Hogweed Seriously, it's a big pest in the UK. Looks like large cow parsley (a completely harmless plant) but contact with the skin can cause a severe allergic reaction and blistering. Not nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperdyer Posted June 20, 2018 #23 Share Posted June 20, 2018 On 6/19/2018 at 4:01 PM, Hammerclaw said: Until that comets shows up and blinds everybody and the darn things start walking. Day of the Hogweed. Catchy title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paperdyer Posted June 20, 2018 #24 Share Posted June 20, 2018 Do we know whether the burns are caused by an acidic or alkaline substance? I'd like if you had a patch of them and the burns are caused by acid, a good dose of NaOH might work, provided the NaOH will be absorbed with the water the plant takes up. NaCl may be good as well. From everything that has to be done to get rid of it, the area cleared is probably sterile for a long time anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Monk Posted June 24, 2018 #25 Share Posted June 24, 2018 This plant is ubiquitous in Britain, especially along riverbanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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