As if the poison ivy, mosquito swarms, and other joys of the great outdoors weren’t enough, we’re now getting a new pest in the woods — Giant Hogweed:
A forestry official confirmed two new findings of giant hogweed last week in Renfrew County, west of Ottawa. It has previously been spotted in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Quebec, southwestern Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. About 50 plants were spotted in Toronto’s Don Valley two weeks ago.
Contact with the weed’s clear, watery sap can be very dangerous, Jeff Muzzi, Renfrew County’s forestry manager and weed inspector.
“What it does to you is pretty ugly,” said Mr. Muzzi. “It causes blisters. Large blisters and permanent scarring. What’s left over looks like a scar from a chemical burn or fire.”
Even a tiny trace of sap applied to the eye can singe the cornea, causing temporary or permanent blindness, he added. The chemicals in the sap, furocoumarins, are carcinogenic and teratogenic, meaning they can cause cancer and birth defects.
It lives up to the “giant” moniker as well: plants can reach 5-6 metres at full growth, with stems up to 10 cm and flower heads up to 75 cm in diameter.
So far the plants have managed to hide the fact that they can walk.
Comment by Lickmuffin — July 13, 2010 @ 12:24
That’s why they changed the original name from “Triffidus Peripateticus“. They never actually caught them moving. So they figured it was just the lab assistants playing games.
Comment by Nicholas — July 13, 2010 @ 12:30