Heracleum mantegazzianum

[andrew t]

The giant hogweed😱

I had to do some research on this today as we have priced to clear an area of trees with hogweed growing in the middle of it .

If I have identified it properly then I believe it's sap makes your skin very sensitive to sun light causing burns and blisters and sometimes this can be permanent .

We won't be doing any work near it until it's cleared by a specialist company .

[timbernut]

It is an impressive plant,one of my older sisters got blisters on her eye from using a bit as a telescope! Think it happened a lot in the 60s.

We used to manage some water meadows for wild flowers for an ancient lady in Suffolk and she hated us cutting it down (with a pole saw 😀) and we used to bury it in a large 'habitat pile'

[andrew t]

It is an impressive plant,one of my older sisters got blisters on her eye from using a bit as a telescope! Think it happened a lot in the 60s.

We used to manage some water meadows for wild flowers for an ancient lady in Suffolk and she hated us cutting it down (with a pole saw 😀) and we used to bury it in a large 'habitat pile'

 

I must say I had never heard of it until today . Very impressive in size it has a little bit of a Gunnera look about it .

[timbernut]

What height has it got to! I'm sure the ones we cut were up to 10' high and the umbrels were about 2' diameter when fully open I an see why some travelling collector brought them here

[David Humphries]

I recall a stupid naive 16 year old about 30 years ago wiping a load of hogweed all over his unclad legs in the heat of summer saying he didn't believe the myths about the blisters they supposedly caused

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've still got the scars to this day

 

.

[peatff]

What height has it got to! I'm sure the ones we cut were up to 10' high and the umbrellas were about 2' diameter when fully open I an see why some travelling collector brought them here

 

It'll go higher than that with the right conditions 15' to 20'. It's tempting for kids to pull it apart and play with the leaves and stems and it is evil. Gloves and coveralls and remember not to wipe sweat off with the back of your hand the after effects can last for years.

[andrew t]

What height has it got to! I'm sure the ones we cut were up to 10' high and the umbrels were about 2' diameter when fully open I an see why some travelling collector brought them here

 

About 8' in places and about 2 inch ish diamiter .

[andrew t]

I recall a stupid naive 16 year old about 30 years ago wiping a load of hogweed all over his unclad legs in the heat of summer saying he didn't believe the myths about the blisters they supposedly caused

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've still got the scars to this day

 

.

Blimey David that must of been painfull .

[David Humphries]

Blimey David that must of been painfull .

 

A week in bed unable to move due to the size of the blisters.

 

My GP hadn't seen anything like it.

 

The pus came out in rivers.

 

 

 

Napalm would probably do the job

[andrew t]

It'll go higher than that with the right conditions 15' to 20'. It's tempting for kids to pull it apart and play with the leaves and stems and it is evil. Gloves and coveralls and remember not to wipe sweat off with the back of your hand the after effects can last for years.

 

Straight to hospital if you get sap on you and as you said it can last many years and you need to cover your skin in that time to prevent more burning blistering .

You have to report it and it's an offence to remove it without doing so . I'm glad were just felling the trees not clearing the hogweed by hand with hand tools sounds like a boring job .