This week’s feature plant is somewhat of a celebrity. Indeed, it is a plant worth learning how to identify. Can you guess what it is?
I’m quite the giant that over-towers,
With leaves so wide and firework flowers,
My sap burns the skin and erodes the soil,
To get rid of me, you’ll have to toil.
While in general invasive plants (sadly) do not get much coverage in the media, some are just so scary that they lend themselves to coverage in major news outlets. Certainly, Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) fits that bill. In fact, the band Genesis released the ominous song “Return of the Giant Hogweed” in 1971:
“Turn and run
Nothing can stop them
Around every river and canal, their power is growing…”
(I highly recommend listening to this song for some fantastic and strangely factual lyrics…)
Hairs on Hogweed stems and leaves exude a poisonous sap that sensitizes the skin to ultraviolet radiation, resulting in severe burns, blistering, and painful dermatitis. Contact with the eyes can even cause temporary or permanent blindness.
Despite these public health concerns, Giant Hogweed was introduced to North America as an ornamental for its showy inflorescence and large size – and large it is! Individual plants regularly reach a height of 2m or more. Its numerous small white flowers are arranged in a large, flat-topped, umbrella-like cluster, resembling its native cousin, Cow Parsnip. However, Cow Parsnip is much smaller in leaves, flower clusters, and height. Be careful! Cow Parsnip also contains a toxic sap that causes severe burns when exposed to sunlight.
Giant Hogweed is a source of several ecological concerns. For one, it out-competes native plants due to its tolerance to full shade, vigorous early-season growth, and ability to coexist with other widespread and invasive plant species. Moreover, infestations can result in increased erosion hazards in riparian areas due to characteristically shallow roots.
Luckily, as SSISC Invasive Plants List denotes, Giant Hogweed is not widely distributed in the Sea to Sky, and we look to eradicate it from the region. Keep your eyes peeled and report any suspicious sightings here.
And as the band Genesis proclaims:
“Stamp them out,
We must destroy them,
They infiltrate each city with their thick dark warning odour,
They are invincible,
They seem immune to all our herbicidal battering”
Now, if we could just get some similar coverage in popular culture for our less glamorous but equally concerning invasive species…
I Spy in the Sea to Sky Contest
Guess the invasive species in our I Spy in the Sea to Sky series, posted on social media every Monday from June through August, to enter the giveaway. Once a month, one lucky commenter will win a packet of native flowers seed mix.
Contest Rules:
- Comment your guess on either Instagram or Facebook to enter
- 1 entry per person per post
- Anyone can play, but only residents of the Sea to Sky region are eligible to win
- Entry will close at 11:59 PM PST on the last day of each month (in this case June 30th)
- Winners will be announced on the first business day of the next month (July 5th) and contacted via their platform of entry
- This giveaway is in no way sponsored or endorsed by Instagram or Facebook
Good luck!
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