‘Britain’s most dangerous plant’ hits its scorching peak, experts warn

‘Britain’s most dangerous plant’ has hit its scorching peak, experts have warned – and it could leave children, parents, and even pets with gruesome burns.

The sap of the giant hogweed stops our skin protecting itself against the sun, meaning victims face painful, pus-filled blisters if exposed to daylight.

And because it causes no immediate pain, those affected may continue to enjoy the good weather, unaware of any problem until the first burns appear.

The plant reaches its greatest extent in June and July, according to Callum Sinclair, project manager with the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative.

‘By the time we get to this time of year, they’re pretty impressively-big plants and impressively-dangerous plants as well obviously,’ he said. 

‘They’re probably close to sort of maximum height now and mid-summer, July and August.’

At this time, even the professionals like to keep their distance, he added. 

So, would you know how to spot giant hogweed? 

Giant hogweed is an invasive species that is frequently confused with cow parsley. 

Reginald Knight, Head Gardener at Fife Zoo, told MailOnline it was originally introduced to the UK in ornamental gardens and is ‘renowned for its umbrella formations of white flowers and large leaves’. 

Seeds from the plant are dispersed in the wind, which is why giant hogweed can now be found all over the UK. 

The plant is often found near rivers, but can also be spotted near hedges or by roadsides. 

While giant hogweed looks very similar to common hogweed, it is much larger and will often reach heights of over 16 feet. 

Sharing tips on how to distinguish between the two plants, Mr Knight said the plant has ‘long stems topped with umbrella-like clusters of tightly packed white flowers’.

‘The large stems are covered in tiny white hairs and there are purple spots randomly dispersed all over the stem too with each branch tending to have a patch of purple colouration where it meets the stem,’ he said. 

Giant hogweed seedlings usually appear in March or April, at which point they’re much smaller and easier to manage. 

‘The reason we treat them earlier in the season is because they are smaller obviously and less dangerous because we can get in amongst them with protective clothing,’ Mr Sinclair explained. 

‘But once you get to the height that they are now in the summer time, and they’re large with big leaves, they’re dangerous to get in amongst.

‘So now, in the summer time, when obviously schools are on holiday and people are active in the summer, is the time we would really be warning to keep well back from them basically.’

The plant is rife all across the UK, with countless reports of nasty encounters.

Chloe Douglas, from Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, woke up with rashes on her hands and neck, which grew into blisters ‘the size of grapes’ after touching the plant.

‘The recovery was extremely painful,’ she said.

At the other end of England, in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, it left a chihuahua-pug cross, Peanut, with ‘weeping blisters that looked red and sore’, according to owner Sue Earley.

And in Somerset, mum Samantha Morgan recently described how her two-year-old son was left screaming in agony as medics cut away his giant hogweed blisters. 

Injuries have also been documented in Wales and Ireland, north and south.

Meanwhile, Scotland has been home to some of the most horrifying cases.

Last summer, Ross McPherson was left with a blister as big as an orange and struggling to dress himself after brushing past a giant hogweed in Dunbar, East Lothian.

He described the pain as ‘absolute hell’.

And in Glasgow, retired lifeboat officer George Parsonage, 80, recently described how he was still tormented by an old giant hogweed wound from the 1960s.

Mr Sinclair emphasised that giant hogweed often causes long-term injuries.

He said: ‘This plant can cause painful blistering or burns, and also those things can actually come back year on year.

‘So it’s not a once-and-for-all damage that they can cause to you.

‘And if you do happen to come into contact with it and do get burned, you need to cover the contact point up because the sunlight will make it worse.

‘And then you need to probably wash the area to rid the sap from it with water and soap.’

The giant hogweed is native to the Caucasus, but was introduced to Britain as an ornamental plant in 1817, and its spread has now got out of control.

Mike Duddy, of the Mersey Basin Rivers Trust, said in 2015 that the giant hogweed was ‘without a shadow of a doubt, the most dangerous plant in Britain’.

Mr Sinclair said it was most easily distinguished from its native cousin, the common hogweed, by its sheer scale – growing eight to 10 feet in size.

He encouraged those who see the plant to report it to the local authority or responsible landowner, while those in Scotland can also report it to the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative.