The plant's sap can cause severe burns resulting in hospitalisation
Britain is bracing for a record invasion of the toxic Giant Hogweed due to mild and wet weather conditions, experts have warned.
In the past, landowners and gardeners who failed to clear the plant from their properties have been issued with anti-social behaviour orders. Now, Britain is preparing for a "huge year for the proliferation" of Giant Hogweed after the plant was spotted much earlier in the year than anticipated. The plant, scientifically known as Heracleum Mantegazzianum, can grow up to six metres tall. Keith Gallacher, director of Complete Weed Control in Scotland, who handle ground maintenance and tree management, noticed young shoots of the rapidly-spreading plant emerging from winter dormancy in March.
Like many invasive species, such as Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam, it was brought to the UK as an architectural oddity, but now it has escaped and, without any natural enemies, it grows into dense colonies, especially along watercourses.
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