⚠︎🔥︎  DO NOT BURN  🔥︎⚠︎.  Avoid all contact with ░ smoke.

  • If contact with ░ smoke, seek ⚕︎ medical attention with all due speed.
⚠︎ ⛽︎✂︎  DO NOT USE HEDGECLIPPERS  ✂︎⛽︎ ⚠︎.  Neither petrol/​gasoline nor electric:

  • I met a guy whose petrol/​gasoline hedgeclippers went through poison ivy before he noticed — plant fragments hit his 🫁 lungs, the poison entered his bloodstream, hitting all body organs horribly, and putting him under ⚕︎ medical care for months.
  • Perhaps a 😷 P100 HEPA respirator / filter mask would have helped, but I suggest maximum PPE and ✂︎ hand tools, nice and slow!
⚠︎✋︎☠︎  DO NOT TOUCH  ☠︎✋︎⚠︎. To avoid skin rash and irritation phyto­photo­dermat­itis PPD, due to contact with photo­toxic furano­coumarins, leading to 💥︎ ¿permanent damage, dis­fig­ure­ment and blindness?, avoid contact with all parts of this plant [1] with your 🖐 skin, 👕︎ clothing, 👟︎ shoes and 🐕︎ pets:

  • If contact with anything, seek ⚕︎ professional medical advice with all due speed.  This author has heard of chemical causing permanent dis­fig­ure­ment of skin if the victim fails to stay out of the sun for or 6 years due to its photo­toxic effect, causing phyto­photo­derma­titis PPD.  If contact with the eyes, I read it can cause blindness.  Seek someone with more knowledge than me.  Now.
  • Don't delay.  The toxins (furano­coumarins) are activated by ☀︎ UV light, and ☀︎ UV gets you outdoors, even under ☁ clouds and 🌴︎⛱ shade.
poster about dangers of giant hogweed, select for more info and to view full-size

Also called 🐄︎ giant cow parsnip, giant cow parsley, hogsbane, cartwheel-flower, wild parsnip (although do not confuse with unrelated similar-named wild parsnip  Pastinaca sativa ), and wild rhubarb.

Sister-species to ⚠︎✋︎☠︎  common 🐄︎ cowparsnip  Heracleum maximum  ☠︎✋︎⚠︎ both part of 🐖︎ hogweed / 🐄︎ cow parsnip  genus Heracleum in 🥕︎ carrot/celery/parsley  family Apiaceae.

Native to central Asia.  🗺 Map by county (🇺🇸 USA-48) (color key).   Invasive > learn+quiz Invasive > 🌐︎ global Invasive > 🌐︎ various Invasive > 🇨🇦 🇺🇸 Canada+USA Invasive > report it! Invasive > 🇺🇸 USA Invasive > Michigan prohibited in Michigan, incl. seeds, fragments and derivatives.  Adobe Acrobat Reader file

Uses by native peoples
(Ethnobotany database)   On No-Planting List by Seneca Nation of Indians SNI.  Adobe Acrobat Reader file (page 62)

Learn more about ⚠︎✋︎☠︎  giant 🐖︎ hogweed  ☠︎✋︎⚠︎  Heracleum mantegazzianum

What Is Giant Hogweed and How Do I Avoid Being Burned by It? Identification, Prevention and Control information from MSU.  Adobe Acrobat Reader file   Best Control Practices BCP (Ontario)  Adobe Acrobat Reader file and its Technical Bulletin  Adobe Acrobat Reader file

🔍︎ 🔍︎ images Discover Life Encyclopedia of Life Michigan Flora Missouri Botanical Garden USDA PLANTS db USFS Wikipedia

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🏠︎ ⚘ ❀ flowers 🌾︎⚶⚘ ☙  terrestrial herbaceous plants :  ⚠︎✋︎☠︎  common 🐄︎ cowparsnip  Heracleum maximum  ☠︎✋︎⚠︎
wild parsnip  Pastinaca sativa