The Giant Hogweed can cause painful blistering, and even blindness, simply from brushing up against the noxious plant.
Touching the Hogweed, or Heracleum mantegazzianun, triggers the release of its poisonous sap, causing the affected skin to " blister, scar, and permanently discolor," according to Medpage Today.
The plant also has a reputation for causing temporary and even permanent blindness. The sap damages human skin using toxins called furanocoumarins. The irritating compounds cause the skin to become more sensitive to ultraviolet rays, this characteristic is known as photoactive.
Scientists have observed caterpillars that eat plants containing the compound have developed a few interesting defenses. Some caterpillars have turned yellow by accumulating a pigment called lutein, which absorbs ultraviolet light, according to the Washington Post.
"I doubt that people want to ingest enough lutein to turn yellow. That's what happens to the caterpillars," said May R. Berenbaum, an entomologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Berenbaum explained other caterpillars roll leaves around themselves when they feed in order to reduce exposure to ultraviolet light.
Most of the caterpillars are able to detoxify the chemicals "with very efficient gut enzymes," according to Berenbaum. "Ours are puny by comparison."
Humans don't have the same luxury. When the skin gets more sensitive to UV rays it has a hard time healing, and often scars. The skin can be easily affected by light for years after coming in contact with the Hogweed. The eyes are even more vulnerable to the plant's toxic sap, reported Medpage Today.
Officials advised to immediately wash any area that has come into contact with the plant, as the poison has a delayed reaction. Other tips are to keep the affected area out of sunlight for at least 48 hours, and wear sunglasses.
The Hogweed was not spotted in America until about 100 years ago, when it popped up in New York. The plant has spread across the Northeast and Pacific Northwest.
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