Giant Hogweed - Neatorama

Officials have noticed increased sightings of the plant called Giant Hogweed. It is found throughout North America, but if you see one, stay away. The sap from this plant will burn your skin and cause painful blisters that last for days, maybe months. Buzzfeed has images of the plant so you can identify it, and some possibly disturbing pictures of what it can do to you. Link

(Image credit: Wikipedia user Farbenfreude)

I probably said the name "Giant Hogweed" three dozen times since monday. The plant proliferates around the Thames river where I live and I'm going camping next weekend around the Thames. I was planning to pull up some pictures to show my girlfriend so she could be aware what we are up against, and now I don't have to, she will probably see this post. So thank you for that.

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Unfortunately, Giant Hogweed has cropped up in a park here in Montreal.

Thanks for the link to the images.

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There's also a similar deadly plant called poison hemlock. It's not as bushy but has the same flowers.

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For years this was the only thing I knew about this plant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwyBWjfFaM
I didn't even think it was real.

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It bears some similarity to Queen Anne's Lace, as well, though this looks much, much larger. Thanks for the heads up!

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From what I read...it's not the plant that causes the burns...directly, but indirectly.
It's supposed to remove the UV blocking properties from the area of skin that it touches causing painful burns from only a few minutes of being in the sun.

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