This Invasive Plant in Missouri Can Really Seriously Burn You Bad
The good news is you won't run into this invasive plant often in Missouri, but if you do, it can really seriously burn you. It's impossible to exaggerate how painful the burns from this plant really are.
The Missouri Botanical Garden provides all of the horrifying details of what a Giant Hogwood plant can do to you. In the wild, they look like this.
Up close, it will appear like this. You will see these when you get close to the rivers in our part of America.
What's so bad about Giant Hogwood?
The Missouri Botanical Garden spells it out:
The two main vices of hogweed are (1) it is an invasive self-seeder that colonizes and crowds out native species plants and (2) it produces a sap which, on contact with skin, leads to a skin reaction known as Phyto photodermatitis in which severe blisters and rashes typically occur when the skin is exposed to ultra violet light (sun or UV rays).
This plant is bad news if you run into it.
How bad are the burns from Giant Hogweed? This teen in Virginia found out the hard way.
The Missouri Botanical Garden website is a helpful place to learn about Giant Hogweed and other plants. As you get outside to do warm weather things especially near the rivers, you need to know this monster lurks near the water waiting to inflict pain on you.
Examples of Pet Safe, Toxic, and Poisonous Plants
More From KIX 105.7
