Toxic Giant Hog Weed Spreads Across Canada

It's tall, pretty and impressive and it has been living quietly and hiding out in islated spots and lush green space for years since arriving from overseas. Now it is invading cultvated areas and spreading like a pestilence across the entire country.
Giant Hogweed's other reputation — for containing a toxic sap that causes burns and, in rare cases, blindness — has caught up to it. A coalition that raises awareness about invasive species is calling for the giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) to be sent packing from this country for good.


The massive plant — which stands out due to its sheer size, big leaves and white umbrella-shaped blooms, which resemble Queen Ann's Lace — has captured headlines in many parts of the country in recent weeks. Experts say people need to know what they're dealing with because of the possibility of bad burns.  The sap is potent when it comes into contact with UV rays on skin, with blotches starting to show within a day. When  the sap gets in the eyes, temporary or permanent blindness can follow. Health officials say people who are exposed should get out of the sun quickly and wash affected skin with soap and water. If necessary, additional medical assistance might be needed.
Giant hogweed has been growing wild in different parts of Canada for a  number of years and was likely brought here from abroad by gardeners , accidentally or on purpose, after spreading its way through Asia into England and Europe.
It's a spectacular plant in its own way — it can be 20 feet tall so it's impressive, but you have to be very cautious around it and never touch.


One burn victim was Kristi Dashwood's five-year-old daughter Kayla, who sustained serious injury in mid-July.
"She was picking flowers for me like she always does and she got the sap on her hands, neck and arms and she blistered up within 24 hours," Dashwood said in an interview from Ladysmith, B.C. Kayla suffered third-degree burns, while her hands scarred up and turned purple and black. Three weeks later, the girl still has the scars and looks as though she was burned in a fire, Dashwood said. The weed was in a wooded walking path near the family home.
Dashwood said she was very surprised to know something like this could be growing around the corner from her home.
"I think all of it should be removed," said Dashwood, a mother of two who's been trying to raise awareness about the weed.

Gail Wallin, a botanist, who is with the Invasive Plant Council of BC, says some botanists have told her they've lost control of the plant.
"What's really happened is that the plant has started to spread more aggressively and that's because each plant can produce up to 50,000 seeds," Wallin said in an interview from Williams Lake, B.C.
"Most invasives are fine if they are contained and well managed — getting the seed heads off, making sure it doesn't grow rapidly."
The plant has been sighted in Canada in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and southern Quebec and Ontario since the summer, cropping up in meadows, fields, embankments, backyards and along roadsides. The Prairies appear to have been spared, Wallin said, because it likes wet ground so it'will be growing along ditches and out-of-the-way places as well, not to mention along rivers and lakes where people are gathered in the unusually hot days of summer this year.
" Eradicating it will be extra hard," said Donald Smith, a plant sciences professor at McGill University in Montreal.
"At least it's conspicuous," he added. But to eradicate the species completely will be a big job.


It can displace native plants and experts say the seeds can lie dormant up to seven years. Workers also need to be careful in dealing with the plant when trying to remove it. In fact, WorkSafeBC has produced a how-to video to deal with the plant.  It's a good opportunity to educate people about invasive species and their effects, Wallin said, as well as getting municipalities on the same page.
Smith doesn't believe the weed can be eliminated because it'll simply spread back from neighbouring jurisdictions.
People in the United States need to be made aware of this invasive species also. Giant Hogweed does not respect borders. If we can't get  rid of it we will have to learn to live with it like poison ivy or poison oak; just keep your distance.