Firey plant burns!

[111]

I was using a weedwacker at work and tore through a plant called cow parsnip. The sap from this plant causes rashes and burns on the skin. I have a few nice little blisters and dark red spots on my forearm(only exposed part of my body then) The interesting thing about this plant's sap is that whe eposed to sunlight, it will cause the clisters and rashes to become semi permanent(~3 months). A page about it is here

and there is a video on the cnn.com page currently about it but i cant figure out how to link to it and it might be gone later. I know I have seen this plant in the woods, so be careful when you are swinging that machete bushwacking into various climbs. sucky.

[G-spotter]

You are confusing the invasive Giant Hogweed with the cow parsnip.

 

Cow parsnip http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_parsnip

Giant Hogweed http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_053006ENBhogweed.3a62b90d.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_hogweed

[catbirdseat]

Dru you always have to prove people wrong. He could be right. Chances are more likely that's what he encountered.

 

Soralens are potent compounds that are activated by light. There are soralens that have been used to treat skin cancers. They administer the soralens systemically and then activate them locally by irradiating the skin with light of the correct frequency.

[olyclimber]

sure, blame those rashes on a poor defenseless plant. we know where they came from for realz....

[archenemy]

Dru you always have to prove people wrong.

Now that's funny.

[Mr._Natural]

Post deleted by Mr._Natural

[archenemy]

and this concludes our botany lesson for today. thanks for coming, bye bye.

[mattp]

A friend of mine got busted for growing this plant in the side-setback outside his office building. Apparently, they have people who drive around looking for criminals who grow this stuff. The enforcement guy came into the office and left a notice stating that if the plants were not removed within ten days, there would be a fine.

 

I thought it was such a cool plant that I had taken some home and put in in my sideyard, too. After my supplier was taken down, my wife instructed me to quietly go pull ours up under the cover of darkness and hack it into little bits so the weed patrol wouldn't bust us, too.

[G-spotter]

isn't it good that you did it under cover of darkness, cause if you did it in the daylight you'd get blistered

[klenke]

The classic progressive

The Return of the Giant Hogweed

Genesis, 1971

 

Turn and run!

Nothing can stop them,

Around every river and canal their power is growing.

Stamp them out!

We must destroy them,

They infiltrate each city with their thick dark warning odour.

 

They are invincible,

They seem immune to all our herbicidal battering.

 

Long ago in the Russian hills,

A Victorian explorer found the regal Hogweed by a marsh,

He captured it and brought it home.

Botanical creature stirs, seeking revenge.

Royal beast did not forget.

He came home to London,

And made a present of the Hogweed to the Royal Gardens at Kew.

 

Waste no time!

They are approaching.

Hurry now, we must protect ourselves and find some shelter

Strike by night!

They are defenceless.

They all need the sun to photosensitize their venom.

 

Still they're invincible,

Still they're immune to all our herbicidal battering.

 

Fashionable country gentlemen had some cultivated wild gardens,

In which they innocently planted the Giant Hogweed throughout the land.

Botanical creature stirs, seeking revenge.

Royal beast did not forget.

Soon they escaped, spreading their seed,

Preparing for an onslaught, threatening the human race.

 

Mighty Hogweed is avenged

Human bodies soon will know anger

Kill them with your Hogweed hairs

[catbirdseat]

Admit it. What made the plant attractive to you was that it was forbidden.

[mattp]

What made it attractive was the fact that it grows over ten feet high and the flower heads spread as much as three feet. I think it is getting a bad rap. It is not English Ivy or anything - and that is only listed as a "weed of concern" by King County so some nurseries still sell it!

 

So what if you kids might get blisters from it. The little darlings ought to stay out of the landscaping anyway. Giant Hogsweed is cool!

[chucK]

Them tender young shoots on Cow Parnsip is good eatin'!

 

But it looks like Hogweed would not be

[sobo]

What made it attractive was the fact that it grows over ten feet high and the flower heads spread as much as three feet. I think it is getting a bad rap...

 

Audrey... dinnertime!

 

[Mos_Chillin]

Admit it. What made the plant attractive to you was that it was forbidden.

 

Brian made a funny!

 

(Damn, I hope Off isn't on this forum - he's out to get me! )

[AlpineK]

Giant Hogsweed is cool!

 

Giant Hogweed is an invasive non native species. You suck for propagating something like that.

 

Asian Longhorn beetles are cool looking insects; maybe you should have some shipped to your house. Then you can dump some zebra muscles into Puget Sound...idiot

 

[mattp]

Giant Hogweed is not NEAR as invasive as English Ivy or Himalayan Blackberry, in my experience. Now, maybe that is like saying Mussolini wasn't as bad as Hitler, but I had the stuff my yard for two years, thinking it was Cow Parsnip or some kind of relative, and when I pulled it out we never saw it again.

 

Of course (Mr. K.) your idea of landscaping is wall-to-wall woodchips. You don't belong in any "gardener's" discussion, that's for sure. Woodchips is what I used to KILL ENGLISH IVY. I thank you for the chips, by the way, and I'm happy with the fact that I accomplished my mission without herbicide. But I sure don't aspire to a woodchip "lawn." Even beauty bark is more attractive.

[111]

You are confusing the invasive Giant Hogweed with the cow parsnip.

/quote]

Nah, I know the difference. Cow parsnip has the same chemicals in it. The plants I was whacking were only 4 feet tall and blooming already.

[G-spotter]

So how come you can eat cow parsnip then, eh?

[mattp]

There are plenty of plants that are edible, but also can be harmful. Take nettles, for example. Plenty of people staem and eat those nasty stinging leaves.

 

While we are talking about toxics, check out the list of highly toxic plants identified by MacLean County, Illinois, Extension service. #3 on the list will surprise some cc.com regulars.

 

scroll 2/3 way down

 

The following list, provided by the Illinois Poison Center, contains plants that the Center considers dangerous (HIGHLY TOXIC). Even a small amount may cause serious illness or death.

 

Garden Plants

 

Jimson Weed

Autumn Crocus

Marijuana

...

[AlpineK]

Of course (Mr. K.) your idea of landscaping is wall-to-wall woodchips. You don't belong in any "gardener's" discussion, that's for sure.

 

Woodchips are to beauty bark as corn is to corn syrup.

 

Just because you have enough money to hire a gay landscape architurkey doesn't mean you know anything about gardening or landscape. I've seen thousands of landscapes, and even if I don't have time for mine I know what looks good and works with the environment.

 

Why not plant some Scotch Broom.

[G-spotter]

Kurt, how well does marijuana and jimson weed grow in woodchips?

 

If not those, how about morning glorys.

[DirtyHarry]

Dru you should plant acres of cocoa leaves and start making crack so then you won't have to buy it anymore.

[archenemy]

I'll bring the mulch

[chucK]

So how come you can eat cow parsnip then, eh?

 

I guess it could conceivably not be contradictory because it sounds like the giant hogweed toxin doesn't hurt you unless you combine with sunlight. Eatin' stuff basically puts it where the sun don't shine.

 

That said, I have eaten Cow Parsnip raw (many times). I had to peel off the outer stringy stuff thus probably contacted the sap with outer parts of my body, and I did not do all this stuff in a darkroom.

 

So anyway, my conclusion is: Cow Parsnip is probably safe, though if I ever choose to eat some in the future, I am going to be extra critical in the identification of said plant.