Warning when strimming

Not sure if this is the right place to put this so admin feel free to shift it.
I am not one for much of the health and safety measures nowadays and poo poo an awful lot of exaggerated warnings about plants being poisonous ( yes maybe if you eat 5 lbs of it ). That said I would like to warn others that it is not only Giant Hogweed that can give you nasty burns. It’s smaller cousin the ordinary hogweed can as well. It is very very common unlike it’s enormous cousin.

This photo is off the net as I have not ever had the inclination to photograph weeds!
My daughter was strimming a rough piece of ground ( not our ground) the other day with a short sleeved top on. The next day she had quite nasty burns all over her arms. She phoned me to ask if I knew what plant might have been responsible for the burns. I went to have a look at the area and spotted lots of Hogweed which made it easy to identify the culprit. A week on and the burns are getting better. Maybe you should always strim in a long sleeved shirt, it just so happened to be really hot that day. Luckily daughter had on long trousers and wore a visor otherwise she could easily have burnt her face or worse her eyes. She will not repeat the mistake.

 

Sorry to hear about what happened to your daughter @hailbopp, hope she completely heals soon! I wasn't aware that any plant except Giant Hogweed could cause this skin reaction, but after looking at the RHS page there are another four 'giant hogweeds' that can cause this, as well as the common Hogweed you mentioned, it's just that burns caused by the more common hogweed are typically less severe.

"The giant hogweeds are usually referred to by one name, Heracleum mantegazzianum. Research by RHS and other botanists shows that, while this is one of the species, there are as many as four other giant hogweeds at large in Britain some of which are biennial and others perennial. However, when tested all these had high levels of furanocoumarins (the chemicals which cause burning by making the skin sensitive to sunlight) and so all pose a risk to public health.

There is also a native hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium, which will be a familiar plant to gardeners and those who like to go walking in the UK. It can grow to six foot or so when in flower but is nevertheless a much smaller plant than giant hogweed. It can cause rashes and other skin complaints but reactions tend not be as severe as with the larger species. Heracleum sphondylium can support lots of pollinators, including beetles, flies, hoverflies, bees and wasps."

Giant hogweed

Nick

 

I did. Last summer I was cutting back a large Euphorbia wearing my usual PPE, and I must have got some sap on the bend of my arm, so when I bent my arm it transferred to the top of arm as well.

I didn't notice anything until the evening, when it started to burn.

Next day it was weeping watery stuff, and that went on for about two or three weeks with the skin slowly healing back from the outside edges of the burn.

It still itches and felt slightly sore when I got the sun on that area even earlier this year.

 

Also avoid getting Poinsettia sap on you skin as it too is a Euphorbia and can irritate if not burn.

 

Is that the stuff that rubs off the stems?

A plant that I have found to be very nasty regarding shedding hairs on stems is Fremontodendron
you dont see it much, maybe that is why.

 

I had burns from Giant Hogweed many years ago, and being burns I reacted by running cold water on them - the worst thing I could have done, as the burns blistered. If any treatment is used then a recommended ointment is best.