Giant Hogweed

Heracleum mantegazzianumQuick ID:

• A member of the carrot or parsley family, a perennial with tuberous root stalks.
• Stalks and stem are hollow, stems vary from two to four inches in diameter.
• May grow 15 to 20 feet tall, except for size it closely resembles cow parsnip.
• Has stout dark reddish-purple stem and spotted leaf stalks

Habitat:

• May colonize a wide variety of habitats but is most common along roadsides, rights-of-way, vacant lots, streams and rivers.

How It Got Here:

• Originally from Asia & introduced as an ornamental.
• Planted as a curiosity in European and North American private gardens early in the twentieth century.

Reasons for Concern:

• Giant Hogweed is a public health hazard due to it’s clear, watery sap which has toxins that cause photo-dermatitis.
• Skin contact followed by exposure to sunlight produces painful, burning blisters that may develop into purplish or blackened scars.
• Applicators must be careful with removal of this plant.

TREATMENT WITH JK1000

• Calibrate JK1000 to deliver 5mls
• Inject canes of Hogweed at 3ft or below.