Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), or Giant Cow-parsley, is a member of the family Apiaceae, native to the Caucasus Region and Central Asia. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 717 KB) Giant Hogweed, Heracleum mantegazzianum The photo was taken by nl:User:GerardM, and originally uploaded to nl:Afbeelding:Reuzenbereklauw. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... Divisions Green algae Chlorophyta Charophyta Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta—liverworts Anthocerotophyta—hornworts Bryophyta—mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) †Rhyniophyta—rhyniophytes †Zosterophyllophyta—zosterophylls Lycopodiophyta—clubmosses †Trimerophytophyta—trimerophytes Pteridophyta—ferns and horsetails Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta—seed ferns Pinophyta—conifers Cycadophyta—cycads Ginkgophyta—ginkgo Gnetophyta—gnetae Magnoliophyta—flowering plants... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants or angiosperms are the most widespread group of land plants. ... Orders See text. ... Families Apiaceae (carrot family) Araliaceae (ginseng family) Pittosporaceae Griseliniaceae Torriceliaceae The Apiales are an order of flowering plants. ... Genera See text Ref: Hortiplex 2003-11-14 The Apiaceae, the carrot or parsley family, are a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, including parsley, carrot, and other relatives. ... Species See text (about 60) Heracleum, the hogweeds, is a genus of about 60 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of biennial and perennial herbs in the Apiaceae (carrot family). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Genera See text Ref: Hortiplex 2003-11-14 The Apiaceae, the carrot or parsley family, are a family of usually aromatic plants with hollow stems, including parsley, carrot, and other relatives. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caucasus Mountains. ...

It may reach 2-5m (rarely to 7 m) tall. Except for size, it closely resembles Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), Heracleum sosnowskyi or Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica). Species See text (about 60) Heracleum (the hogweeds) is a genus of about 60 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of biennial and perennial herbs in the carrot family Apiaceae. ... Binomial name Angelica archangelica L. Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica) is a biennial plant from the umbelliferous family Apiaceae. ...

It is further distinguished by a stout, dark reddish-purple stem and spotted leaf stalks that are hollow and produce sturdy bristles. Stems vary from 3-8 cm in diameter, occasionally up to 10 cm. The stem shows a purplish-red pigmentation with raised nodules. Each purple spot on the stem surrounds a hair, and there are large, coarse white hairs at the base of the leaf stalk. The plant has deeply incised compound leaves which grow up to 1-1.7 m in width. “Foliage” redirects here. ... Stem showing internode and nodes plus leaf petiole and new stem rising from node. ...

Giant Hogweed is a perennial with tuberous rootstalks which form perennating buds each year. It flowers from late spring to mid summer, with numerous white flowers clustered in an umbrella-shaped head that is up to 80 cm (2.5 ft) in diameter across its flat top. A Phalaenopsis flower Rudbeckia fulgida A flower, (<Old French flo(u)r<Latin florem<flos), also known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also called angiosperms). ...

The plant produces flattened, 1cm long, oval dry seeds that have a broadly rounded base, and broad marginal ridges. A ripe red jalapeño cut open to show the seeds For other uses, see Seed (disambiguation). ...

The Giant Hogweed flowers from late spring to mid summer, and then produces numerous, large flattened elliptic dry seeds (between 1,500-100,000). Shoots die down in the fall. Tall stems mark its locations during winter.

Many foreign plants were introduced to Britain in the 19th century, mainly for ornamental reasons. A few have become aggressively dominant, creating serious problems in some areas.^{[citation needed]} It is now widespread throughout the British Isles especially along riverbanks. By forming dense stands they can displace native plants and reduce wildlife interests.^{[citation needed]} It has also spread in the northeastern and northwestern United States. It is equally a pernicious invasive species in Germany, France and Belgium, overtaking the local species.^{[citation needed]}It was introduced in France in the 19th century by botanists, much appreciated by beekeepers. Lantana invasion of abandoned citrus plantation; Moshav Sdey Hemed, Israel The term invasive species refers to a subset of introduced species or non-indigenous species that are rapidly expanding outside of their native range. ...

In the UK the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1982 makes it an offence to plant or cause Giant Hogweed to grow in the wild.

Phototoxicity

Giant Hogweed is a phototoxic plant. Its sap can cause photodermatitis, skin inflammations when the skin is exposed to sunlight or to UV-rays. Initially the skin colours red and starts itching. Then blisters form as in burns within 48 hours. They form black or purplish scars, which can last several years. Hospitalisation may become necessary. Presence of minute amounts of sap in the eyes, can lead to temporary or even permanent blindness. These reactions are caused by the presence of linear derivatives of furocoumarin in its leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds. These chemicals can get into the nucleus of the epithelial cells, forming a bond with the DNA, causing the cells to die. The brown colour is caused by the production of melanin by furocoumarins. In Germany, where this plant has become a real nuisance, there were about 16,000 victims in 2003. A phototoxic substance is a chemical compound which becomes toxic only when exposed to light. ... Photodermatitis is a reaction of the skin to UV rays of the sun. ... Psoralen (also called psoralene) is the parent compound in a family of natural products known as furocoumarins. ... Broadly, melanin is any of the polyacetylene, polyaniline, and polypyrrole blacks and browns or their mixed copolymers. ...

Giant Hogweed (close-up)

Children should be kept away from Giant Hogweed, and protective clothing (including eye protection) should be worn when handling it or digging it. If skin is exposed, the affected area should be washed thoroughly with soap and water and the exposed skin protected from the sun for several days. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1222x1048, 371 KB) Beschreibung: Heracleum mantegazzianum, Hauptdolde mit Nebendolden Quelle: selbst fotografiert von Appaloosa Erstversion: de. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1222x1048, 371 KB) Beschreibung: Heracleum mantegazzianum, Hauptdolde mit Nebendolden Quelle: selbst fotografiert von Appaloosa Erstversion: de. ...

For effective control, the plant should not be be mowed down, but rather sprayed with RoundUp, on three-weekly intervals until it is gone. Even after the parent plant is completely removed, the numerous seeds left behind can germinate 7 to 15 years later, and ongoing monitoring is required. If the physical method of control uses effective bodily protection such as head to toe covering, plus eye protection, removing the green growth helps to exhaust the root and will weaken the plant, so digging it out (as far as 60 cm deep) and chopping it is feasible.

2,4-D, TBA, MCPA and dicamba will kill above ground parts but are reportedly not particularly effective on persistent rootstalks. Glyphosate (Roundup) is considered the most effective herbicide and should be used cautiously around desirable species since it is nonselective. Application during bud stage and while the plant is actively growing is recommended by New York Cooperative Extension. It has been suggested that Roundup be merged into this article or section. ... Roundup is the brand name of a systemic, broad-spectrum herbicide produced by the U.S. life sciences giant Monsanto. ...

A warning in Peterborough, England

Image File history File linksMetadata Hogweed1. ... Peterborough /Ë¡piːtəˌbʌɹə/ is a cathedral city and unitary authority in the East of England, with an estimated population of 161,000 as of 2006. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total...

Musical reference

"Return of the Giant Hogweed" by Genesis, on the album Nursery Cryme (1971) tells the story of "regal hogweed" being brought from Russia by a Victorian explorer to the Royal Gardens at Kew and how it was spread throughout England by "fashionable country gentlemen". The hogweed then "prepares for an onslaught, threatening the human race" and people must run for shelter and attack it at night, as it cannot photosensitize its venom. Genesis are an English rock band formed in 1967. ... Nursery Cryme is the third studio album by Genesis and was recorded and released in 1971. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... “Kew Gardens” redirects here. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Heracleum mantegazzianum

• Contact-Poisonous Plants of the World
• Photos of Giant Hogweed
• Eradication
• Environment Agency of Finland:Photo of the blisters caused by the plant (Graphic)

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1191x1684, 81 KB)LaTeX generated coverpage of Auckland university thesis class (Uathesis) freely available available from URL:http://www. ...