STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Did you know there’s a plant so vicious it can cause your skin to burn?
Meet the invasive giant hogweed, or the Heracleum Mantegazzianum plant, which is so dangerous that it’s a federally listed noxious weed, and New York state law prohibits its possession with the intent to sell, import, purchase, transport, introduce or propagate, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
And, we regret to inform you, it has made its home on Staten Island.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, AND HOW IT CAN HARM YOU
The giant hogweed can grow to between seven and 14 feet, and has bristly, hollow stems that grow up to four inches in diamete. It has dark reddish-purple blotches with colossal leaves up to five feet in length. Atop the stems are the giant hogweed’s white, umbrella-shaped flowers.
Brushing up against or breaking the hogweed plant releases the toxic sap that, combined with sunlight and moisture, can cause a severe burn within 24 to 48 hours of contact, according to the DEC.
The sap the plant releases is a chemical and acts like reverse sunscreen.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the plant’s sap is most dangerous when it begins to flower in the early summer months.
“The best thing to do is leave it, don’t touch it, and let our crews take care of it,” said Daniel Waldhorn, coordinator of DEC’s giant hogweed information line.
WHERE IS THE GIANT HOGWEED FOUND?
Advance/SILive.com sister site NewYorkUpstate.com reports that upstate New York has some of the largest and oldest giant hogweed sites in the United States, with the majority found in Buffalo and Rochester. It was first introduced from Eurasia as an ornamental plant in 1917 and has since been spreading across the state.
Waldhorn told NewYorkUpstate.com that the agency manages 1,800 giant hogweed colonies statewide, including 257 active sites – where plants are currently growing – in Central New York, mostly located in the Finger Lakes region.
In 2020, there were 2,666 confirmed giant hogweed sites across 54 counties in New York.
According to DEC, giant hogweed was identified and confirmed on Staten Island in 2019 and 2020 in Oakwood and New Dorp along the shoreline.
You can view the DEC’s interactive map of hogweed sites here.
Of the 2,666 confirmed sites, 1,896 sites are being monitored and/or treated and 49 sites were recently designated as eradicated of giant hogweed -- for a total of 770 eradicated -- meaning there was no plant or plant growth for three consecutive years. Additionally, Waldhorn noted 268 giant hogweed sites in Central New York where the plants were removed by specialized teams.
Giant hogweed grows along streams, rivers, and in fields, forests, yards, and roadsides; it prefers wide open spaces where light is abundant and soil is moist, however, it can grow in partially shaded habitats, too, according to DEC.
Once the giant hogweed plant is removed, the site is monitored for up to nine years to ensure the seed banks are depleted and new plants don’t grow – each hogweed flower produces around 20,000 seeds that can live in soil up to seven years.
If you think you’ve come into contact with giant hogweed, you should wash the contacted area thoroughly with soap and water and keep it covered for at least 48 hours. You should take a photo of the plant and send the photo, as well as the location, to DEC’s email ghogweed@dec.ny.gov, or call the information line at 845-256-3111.
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