Worksafe British Columbia, short video about dealing with Giant Hogweed, and the precautions one must take. (A better tool, was needed)
I hope that everyone is being told how to differentiate these from the native cow parsnip. I've heard that down here both are being killed as a part of the hogweed control effort. Plants of the native I spotted on a busy road several years ago have apparently since disappeared, I'm wondering if they were sprayed or pulled.
Useful manual here (pdf file): http://www.sl.kvl.dk/upload/kaempe_bjorneklo_eng.pdf From a European perspective, but a lot of detailed info applicable anywhere.
Michael, is there a smaller version of this plant. We have something that looks like this that has invaded local paddocks from a council gravel dump along with the ragwort. The ragwort is gone but this other stuff keeps coming up I suspect from seeds. I noticed when in Switzerland there was a woman carefully pulling it up out of her meadow. I am familiar with the big one. We had one growing at home. Probably a good thing it did not take off given what I have seen on video. Liz
Yes; there are several other species of Heracleum, for starters. The pdf file I linked mentions a couple native to Europe; RonB mentions another native in western North America. Obviously where these are native, they need to be protected in any Giant Hogweed removal programme. Sorry, I don't know what you have in the way of similar plants in Australia, whether native or introduced species of Heracleum, or in other related genera.
No I would say these are introduced. Will go back over the files to see. I have only seen them growing like this here. The smaller ones. Thankyou Liz
