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Project Noah Nature School
Heracleum mantegazzianum
Green stalks with slight pink at joints. White flower cluster at top. Up to 7 ft tall
Woods in nature preserve. Shade only, no specimens growing in open prairie area nearby (though some were under a lone tree)
Very much resembled Queen Annes lace but I've never seen a specimen this tall. The pic with me it was taken with my phone extended above the plant above me, and I'm 6' 3"
Giant hogweed doesn't necessarily grow in clusters. Here in my region it grows exactly the way it is shown on your pics. Plus, there is no other hogweed that grows that tall (up to 2+ metres). The ID is pretty certain.
I'm just wondering if it's not a different sp, as these all grew separately, and giant hogweed seems to grow in clusters. I would also think the preserve might take more of an issue if these were.
That makes this more troubling, as it was taken right along a major walking path in a nature preserve.
Brandon is right - be careful with it. It's phototoxic and causes very heavy, in many cases irreperable damage of the skin.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracleum_(...) be very careful around this plant, if it's the Giant Hogweed species, it can cause a very very very serious skin reaction if you get the sap on bare skin.
without seeing an individual leaf, i can't narrow it down to the sp, but I can tell you that it's hogweed.
Spotted on May 12, 2012
Submitted on May 21, 2012
