This Invasive Plant Can Cause Severe Skin Burns — Here’s How to Recognize It

Giant hogweed can reach several metres tall and has a thick stem with reddish-purple blotches, coarse hairs, huge leaves, and broad white flower clusters. Its sap can cause severe skin reactions when exposed to sunlight, so avoid touching suspicious plants and keep exposed skin out of the sun – Shutterstock

Giant hogweed looks like the sort of enormous, dramatic plant that belongs in a fantasy garden, but getting too close can turn a pleasant walk or weekend yard project into a medical problem. Its clear, watery sap contains compounds that can make skin extremely sensitive to ultraviolet light, leading to painful burns and blisters after sunlight hits the exposed area.

The good news is that giant hogweed has some distinctive features, and recognizing them can keep a curious gardener from making a very unpleasant mistake. The even better news is simple: nobody needs to grab, cut, pull, mow, or collect a suspicious giant plant just to figure out what it is.