Although the flower appears harmless at first glance, it is dangerous enough to alter human DNA.
Giant hogweed is one of the most dangerous invasive plants in the United States and is found throughout New York State.
Hogweed is filled with a sap that causes phytophotodermatitis, which removes the skin’s ability to protect against the sun’s harmful rays. In extreme cases, exposure can result in third-degree burns and blindness. The effects can last for months or even years.
Even the slightest contact with hogweed can cause painful pustules and skin lesions, and most people who come into contact with this noxious weed don’t realize it until it’s too late.
That’s exactly what happened to Patrick Jones on a hot day last July while he was cutting weeds around his Syracuse church.
Jones, 33, used a weed whacker to cut down stalks of hogweed – a towering plant with harmless-looking white flowers that resemble baby’s breath.
After about 30 minutes, he began to experience itching and burning of the skin.
“We thought he’d walked into a nettle bush, so we put some cortisone cream on him and went about our day,” an associate pastor at Life Church told The Post.
“It wasn’t until the following week that my symptoms worsened…I had severe burning, itching and swelling. I developed pustules and blisters which would burst and leave open sores.”
An unpleasant reaction to Giant Hogweed sap can be made worse by sweat, posing a dangerous threat to plants that flower in the heat of summer.
“It’s going to be pretty painful, at least for the first few days,” explained Daniel H. Waldhorn, an invasive plant specialist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, adding that the effects could last for months or even years.
In Jones’ case, the blistering rash was confined to his feet, but inflammation appeared on his hands, which led to the pastor’s Lyme disease, which worsened.
Introduced to the United States from the Caucasus Mountains of Russia and Eurasia more than two centuries ago, giant hogweed quickly became known as a dangerous invasive predator that caused severe burns to people and animals that strayed too close and wiped out native plants.
In the early 1900s, unsuspecting garden centres sold this beautiful flower, which became especially common in New York.
The invasive plant has spread to all but nine of New York’s 62 counties, with approximately 1,150 active sites across the state, including dozens of sites with more than 400 hogweed plants each.
Only 10 cases of giant hogweed exposure have been reported to the Upstate Poison Control Center, which serves all of New York State except New York City and Long Island, in the past five years, but this low number of cases may be deceptive.
“It’s probably an underestimate,” Waldhorn said.
“We get a lot of reports of giant hogweed burns and when we ask them to send us photos it turns out to be a different plant. Often the culprit is wild parsnip, which is another plant in the same family that causes very similar burns. This plant is actually quite widespread.
“Some people who have been burned by giant hogweed may not have reported it, so it’s hard to say exactly how many people have been burned, but several people are certainly affected each year.”
Since 2020, fires have been reported in Genesee, Steuben, Erie, Oneida, Broome, Warren, Monroe and Onondaga counties.
Jones did not report his exposure to hogweed to authorities, even though his reaction was severe and long-lasting.
Doctors prescribed ointments and antibiotics, but it took more than two weeks for the blisters to subside, and the rash took a full month to clear up, leaving Jones with scars on both his legs.
Even after a year, the rash sometimes returns without any known cause.
“It happens suddenly, without anything in particular. Usually it’s just bad blisters and itching,” Jones said.
With a single plant spitting out up to 100,000 seeds, it’s no wonder hogweed (listed federally as a noxious weed) is so difficult to eradicate.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) began a hogweed eradication program in 2008 and has been working to eradicate the invasive plant from areas where it grows.
The DEC urges anyone who believes they have encountered giant hogweed to report it to authorities so they can inspect the scene and safely remove the plant.
One of the biggest things you should avoid is cutting the stalks with a weed whacker, as Jones did, because it will send sap flying everywhere.
Experts say the easiest way to prevent potential exposure is to stay away from the plant altogether.
