StemCell Therapy

NewsEnvironmentThe Canal and River Trust spends nearly 100,000 a year trying to control giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed

Wednesday, 13th May 2020, 9:20 am

After being introduced into Britain in the early 19th century from central Asia as an ornamental plant, it began growing along canals and rivers. However, in recent years it has appeared in streets and gardens, causing experts to worry that because its pretty and looks like cow parsley, or common hogweed, children may mistake it for something harmless.

If the sap gets rubbed into the eyes it can cause blindness. After contact with the plant, the burns can last for several months and the skin can remain sensitive to light for many years, and the NHS says anyone who touches giant hogweed should wash the affected area with soap and water, and keep it covered.

Growing out of control

Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society, said that flooding this year may have carried seeds to new areas, where warm weather has helped the plants grow to at least 2 metres tall, and sometimes up to 5 metres.

Most people know about foxglove and deadly nightshade, he says. But not as many know about giant hogweed. Co-ordinated action is the only way to get rid of it. In the 1990s there was very little of it. The proliferation has got worse everyyear.

The Canal and River Trust spends nearly 100,000 a year trying to control giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed. Plant tracker the Environment Agencys database of invasive, non-native plants reports hundreds of sightings across all of the UK, from Inverness to Kent.

Agonising burns

Dean Simmons was left with agonising body burns in 2015 after brushing against the weed in Taunton, Somerset. I was out fishing and didnt see it until it was too late, he told the BBC at the time, and a day later I was on morphine.

There have since been reports of adults and children hospitalised with third-degree burns.

So, how to spot it? Giant hogweed has large leaves, spotted leaf stalks and a hollow, reddish-purple stem with fine spines that make it appear furry.

Giant hogweed is one of several UK plants to steer clear of. As well as deadly nightshade and the spiky pink and purple foxglove, poison hemlock can also be fatal if ingested. The yellow-and-green plant lords and ladies also has severely poisonous berries but if put on the tongue, they leave an acrid taste as a warning.

Original post:
What is giant hogweed? How to identify the invasive and toxic plant which can cause burns and even blindness - inews

This entry was posted on May 17, 2020 at 3:41 am and is filed under Blindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |