Pure nature: "Beautiful and dangerous - the giant hogweed"

The giant hogweed with the botanical name Heracleum, also known as Hercules, is particularly striking due to its impressive size. The umbel plant, which comes from the Caucasus, has also spread to other regions of Europe and is considered an invasive species.
As beautiful as the plant is to look at, it is dangerous and is considered phototoxic among herbaceous plants, which means that when combined with sunlight, this perennial produces toxic substances that can cause burning pain and even burns when touched, similar to jellyfish .
This plant breaks all records for perennial plants and is even in the Guinness Book of Records with a height of an impressive 3.65 meters. The annual to perennial herb forms stems with a diameter of 2 to 10 centimeters. Giant white umbels form at the end of the slightly hairy and often purple-spotted stems, with a single umbel containing up to 85,000 individual flowers. Giant hogweed reproduces primarily through seeds and is carried primarily by the wind. That's why it's so important to prevent this extraordinary specimen from flowering. If seeds form and spread, this species can become a mass phenomenon and displace other native wild perennials, particularly becoming dangerous for humans. Any discovery of this giant of the plant world should definitely be reported to the authorities so that the invasive species can be prevented from spreading further.
Giant hogweed is a relatively young plant in Europe that has only found little entry into cultural history.
An exception is the song "The Return of the Giant Hogweed" from 1971 from the album (Nursery Cryme) by the rock band Genesis, which satirically portrays giant hogweed as a serious danger. It says, among other things, "...turn and run, nothing can stop them, around every river and canal their power is growing..." in German "turn and run, nothing can stop them, around every river and canal their power is growing..." their power..."
The next time you come across the giant hogweed, think of this song, keep a reasonable distance and admire the natural phenomenon from a distance.