Beautiful and extremely dangerous - interesting facts about giant hogweed
With its majestic shape and beautiful, white umbellate flowers, giant hogweed cunningly deceives us about its danger to humans and animals. The following brief profile sums up what makes the Hercules shrub so threatening:
- Growth height: 150 to 300 cm, rarely up to 400 cm
- White to pink-colored double umbels: 30 to 50 cm in diameter, 30 to 150 rays
- Flowering period: June and July
- Pinnate leaves: 100 to 300 cm long
- Hollow, hairy, red-spotted stem up to 10 cm in diameter
- Toxicity: phototoxic sap causes burns on the skin of humans and animals
also read
- Fighting hogweed successfully - this is how you remove giant hogweed correctly
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- Is every hogweed poisonous? - How to tell the difference
Even a single giant hogweed forms myriads of seeds, with the help of which the poisonous Plant invasively spreads. As a result, more and more people, especially children, come into contact with the toxic sap. If sunlight falls on the wetted skin, violent reactions with itching, redness and blistering occur within 48 hours. In the worst case, second to third degree burns develop.
Professional removal of hogweed - tips for combating
The best time to control giant hogweed is in March and April, in good time before the flowering period. Please protect yourself from the poisonous sap with overalls, gloves, boots and a mask. Ideally, deal with the floral aggressor when the sun is not shining.
Removed Take the Hercules shrub out of the bed in stages. First cut off the above-ground parts of the plant. Then lift the rhizome with the help of the Digging fork from the soil. The remains are not suitable for recycling on the compost heap, but should be completely destroyed or disposed of with household waste.
After 3 weeks, please check the infested site for renewed sprouting of the poisonous plant. In the following 5 years, the bed should be checked every early summer for descendants of the Hercules shrub.
Tips
In the wild there are a whole host of nasty plants that look so similar to hogweed. A prime example is the deadly poisonous spotted hemlock (Conium maculatum), the namesake for the legendary hemlock cup. In ancient times, the poisonous plant was used for executions and is still primarily associated with the execution of Socrates in 399 BC.