The toxicity of a single species of hogweed puts the entire genus under general suspicion of being dangerous to humans and animals. This guide clears up the prejudice and explains the most important distinguishing features between poisonous and harmless hogweed.
Is hogweed poisonous and how do you recognize it?
Giant hogweed is poisonous and can cause burns if it comes into contact with skin. It differs from the harmless meadow hogweed in its red-speckled, hollow stem and a growth height of up to 300 cm. Poisonous giant hogweed only blooms from June to July.
Giant hogweed – risk of burns if it comes into contact with the skin
When giant hogweed is in full bloom, the decorative value is undeniable. The satanic side of natural beauty, however, is almost invisible in the form of toxic plant sap. Even light contact with the plant can cause second and third degree burns.
The tricky thing is that the painful symptoms of poisoning only occur under the influence of sunlight. It starts with severe itching. The skin then turns red to black and produces blisters.
Distinguishing poisonous from harmless – this is how it works
In order to recognize the dangerous candidate among the hogweed species, the focus is on the following two distinguishing features between poisonous giant hogweed and harmless meadow hogweed:
- Giant hogweed thrives with red-flecked, hollow stems
- Poison hogweed, with a height of up to 300 cm, towers over all harmless conspecifics
The flowering time provides another indication of whether you are dealing with poisonous or harmless hogweed. Giant hogweed only blooms from June to July. The flowering period of native meadow hogweed, however, extends from June to September.
Tip
If a poisonous giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) has crept into your garden, you should remove the intruder as soon as possible. In contrast to its harmless counterparts, the uninvited guest tends to spread invasively through self-seeding. Please approach the floral aggressor well protected with overalls, boots, gloves and eye protection (€9.00 on Amazon).
