Saturday, April 19, 2003

Those nasty plant alerts

According to this article from NEPA News, Maryland has issued a "nasty plant alert" for giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). Though the species has not yet been spotted in that state, it has been seen in neighboring states. Maryland is taking a proactive stance by sending out the alert, warning people of the dangers of coming into contact with the plant's phototoxic sap (link to .pdf file), and holding workshops to teach people to identify it. Giant hogweed is on the Federal Noxious Weed List because of the danger it poses to humans, but it can also be an aggressive invasive plant in its own right.

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