By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER Ohio Correspondent JEFFERSON, Ohio — To the average person it looks like Queen Anne’s lace or wild carrots on steroids. But giant hogweed is a public health hazard. Its sap produces painful, burning blisters and can even cause temporary or permanent blindness, said David Marrison with Ohio State University extension in Ashtabula County. “The sap, which is inside the stems, causes the damage,” he explained. “It is not like poison ivy where it gets on you, and you get this rash. It can cause a skin reaction known as phytophotodermatitis. It takes the outside layer of the skin’s ability to filter ultraviolet light fight. You’re getting an intense burn.” The plant sap also can produce painless red blotches that later develop into purplish or brownish scars that may persist for several years, Marrison said. Giant hogweed looks majestic. It can get to between 10-15 feet tall in late June-early July. It has an appealing umbrella-shaped flower which is prominent. The plant is a member of the carrot or parsnip family and is native to the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It was introduced to this country in the early 1900s as an ornamental. Now it is on the federal and Ohio noxious weed lists, making it unlawful to propagate, sell or transport. It has been included on these lists because of its ability to crowd out native plants, and because it is a potential human health hazard. “This has been around in Ashtabula County for well over two decades,” Marrison said. “We came to know about it about 15 years ago; New York and Pennsylvania have been hotspots for this. We border Pennsylvania, so it wasn’t a surprise that it is found here and in Mahoning County in Ohio.” About 15 years ago the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture was making an aggressive outreach effort that included coming over into neighboring states, Marrison said. The department didn’t want to do an eradication program in Pennsylvania and then have it come back from Ohio, for instance. Hogweed is now reported in Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Oregon, Michigan, Vermont and Washington, said USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service subject matter expert Indira Singh. “It is not an agricultural weed,” Singh said. “It was introduced as a horticultural/ornamental plant and grows along riversides; it displaces native plants. It is persistent and often difficult to eradicate.” If allowed to establish, the plants can drop large numbers of seeds that can germinate for many years, said Abbey Powell, USDA spokesperson. So, eliminating the plants in a location one year doesn’t mean it won’t reestablish from the seed bank. “Because one plant can produce up to 20,000 seeds, once it gets in a location it tends to take over that area,” Marrison added. “It becomes a monoculture because of the amount of seeds it produces. While they have killed the hotspots, there is still an incredible seed bank which could be viable for longer than we’ll be alive.” For more information, see www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/hogweed.shtml If someone suspects giant hogweed, they should not touch it because it is a health hazard. Instead, contact the local extension office for identification and next steps, through www.nifa.usda.gov/extension |
