A very large weed is invading Canada and attacking people. It's called heracleum mantegazzianum, or giant hogweed (you pick), and is on the move in Ontario. Like something out of a 1970s eco-horror movie, or Day of the Triffids, the Terrible H is spreading.
- Size: maxes out at six meters. Yes, a twenty-foot-tall weed. Hence "giant" in the name.
- Weapon: it oozes poison. The stuff's strong enough to burn flesh, or blind your eyes, even permanently.
- Stealth: it can hide, and still get you.
"[exposure] could be inadvertent," [Jeff Muzzi, manager of forestry services for Renfrew County] said. "You might not even know it's here, [just] walk into it and happen to break a leaf. The next thing you know, you've got these nasty burns."
- Growth: this anti-human weed is spreading energetically.
"It spreads primarily by seeds... [which] can be carried by vehicles, by people, by winds it could be a bird. It could be any reason at all and I think every plant will produce something to the tune of 500,000 seeds, so the spread potential is pretty big."
Yes, it is deemed invasive.
Canadians, you can only mutilate, kill, and ship so many people before you outrage nature herself!
(thanks to Randy McCall)
Oh my God?...looks so shocking...oh..so bad!
Posted by: Nursing tank | July 16, 2010 at 03:46
Looks like a relative of the parsnip family and the smaller toxic invasive we have in Vermont, wild chervil, which is photo-toxic.
Posted by: Sarah Scully | July 16, 2010 at 13:26
Got them in my garden. Very sturdy. Try to use roundup to get rid of them. Trying for 8 years now and they are still there. Be careful in combination with direct sunlight.
By the way, I did not see them attacking anyone. No triffids here.
Posted by: aleene | July 16, 2010 at 14:02
Sarah, what does photo-toxic mean, killed by light?
Eight years, Arnaud! (It might take a little more time before they start attacking hardy Europeans)
Posted by: Bryan Alexander | July 19, 2010 at 10:03
Giant hogweeds are extremely persistent. Here in the Netherlands we call them 'bear claws' for the marks they leave (not that we've seen bears in a century or 4, 5 here)
At an early age I was taught to spot them and stay well clear of them.
When I was in Vancouver in 2008, I was amazed and slightly shocked to see them growing in a neighborhood, with people being unaware it is a dangerous plant. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonz/2658799786/in/photostream/
Posted by: Ton Zijlstra | July 23, 2010 at 06:34
Those Canadians live dangerously, Ton. Their polite, quiet exterior conceals a core of dark madness.
"Bear claws" is a great name. In the US, that's also the name of a tasty snack. :)
Posted by: Bryan Alexander | July 26, 2010 at 15:59