Giant Hogweed - The UK's Most Dangerous & Toxic Plant

[@exlibrisas]

It feels somehow scary when I see those plants. They feel unnaturally, uncannily large. They feel wrong. And I know how dangerous they are. Yet they fascinate me.

[@cyn37211]

We had it in Pennsylvania where I grew up. My friend and I used to go critter-hunting in a creek, and those plants towered over us! There was some kind of hollow plant that grew alongside them, and if you rubbed the liquid from it on your skin, the hogweed sap wouldn’t burn.

[@PNEKarl]

Hello Tom. Nasty stuff. When I was a 12 year old we used to go swimming in the River Ribble in Penwortham. Mum would take us down for a picnic by the river. Being kids, my brother and I found these giant plants that we found fascinating and we bent them and climbed them. We thought it was fun snapping them over. We got home later that night and started to get blisters all over our arms and legs. Water blisters the size of golf balls. Mum had to take us to hospital where we were treated to cool the blistering down. It was painful. A burning sensation that lasted for days. We were also scarred for over a year. It's lethal stuff and should be dealt with when found.

[@petermanley7525]

Thank you. This should be a televised public information film

[@michadomeracki5910]

Yes it should. I just can not believe that I am 28 and have never heard about this plant and from what I heard this plant can be one of the biggest problems in the world. There is this movie on youtube about hogweed in Russia. There are no words, this is scary.

[@davidbennett9691]

It's estimated that between 20 and 40 percent of Russian agricultural land has been infested since the introduction in the 1950s.

[@shakcohen4302]

The opening music should obviously be the Genesis song, "The Return Of The Giant Hogweed"

[@u2popmart]

Great song ,, I only identified this plant in Ireland after seeing the Nursery Cryme art for Giant Hogweed and thought huh that looks familiar, i probably shouldn’t touch it

[@breakawayfromme]

Great video, this plant interests me There is loads of it growing by a road near where I live, the leaves have covered the pavement and are overreaching into the road, what's worse is its right where a bus stop is so could be dangerous, I have reported to the council There is a stream nearby that is overrun with it so I assume it seeded from there

[@seanp8220]

good luck for them doing anything

[@onefeather2]

It is also here in the USA, type in Virginia teen and hogweed, about a landscaper who was doing a yard and came in contact with it, it is very painful and has long lasting effects.

[@inregionecaecorum]

For the life of me I can't tell Giant Hogweed from very big Hogweed. I have very big Hogweed which comes back every year on a piece of land I occupy, but since it has never caused me any skin problems I assume it is just very big and not giant.

[@breakawayfromme]

I'm no expert but be wary as Common hogweed can also sometimes cause skin problems so best to wear gloves if you need to handle If your unsure about your plant there are groups online where you can upload photos of plants and someone experienced will help identify

[@llamudos9809]

How do you get rid of it?

[@wannabehistorian371]

Got here from a video of how bad it is in Russia.

[@glike2]

Could this plant be harvested for fiber and biofuels?

[@golkgermany6552]

Hogweed ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@raphlvlogs271]

are they annuals or perennials?

[@IAteYourSandwich]

Not sure what that means exactly caus I don’t know much at all about plants in general. But giant hogweed flowers and dies once a year. But when it flowers on average it produces 20 000 seeds. So it spreads fast.

[@Andrey110379]

Monocarpic. Sets seeds, then dies (but its ability to set seeds just incredible)

[@bearrus2416]

Растение двухлетнее. На второй год нужно обязательно срезать все зонтики с не дозревшими семенами. Отцветшее растение умирает само. The plant is biennial. In the second year, it is imperative to cut off all the umbrellas with unripe seeds. The faded plant dies by itself. The main thing is to prevent the plant from dropping seeds into the ground.

[@ДиноелВокьлав]

Yes, but until it flowers it can live as a seed in soil for 2 - 4 years

[@Jablicek]

The RHS's website tells me it's a biennial. Google (or search engine of your choice) is your friend :) There's loads more interesting information to be gained from reading the sites yourself than asking random strangers on the internet, really.

[@eddymichaels5486]

I love them, they are huge a grow fast!! I have planted several of them in my garden. I am so impressed with their size and growth They are majestic and impressive! They stay in their place here where I live (arctic Sweden). There are people here now planting japanese knotweed, but they said it did not want to survive due to the ground being frozen several months, but that also is impressive and grows fast they say

[@lusty444]

Is it true that all Giant Hogweed in the UK are descended from just one plant that was on show at a horticultural exhibition at the original Crystal Palace in the late 19th century?