Hogweed Mantegazzi or Heracléum mantegazziánum is the largest member of the Umbrella family. The species is invasive; over time, it has spread far beyond its original habitat. Like all other cow parsnip, the plant contains furanocoumarins, which are dangerous for animals and humans.
About the origin of the name
Horsetail Mantegazzi (photo text) received the Latin name in honor of the ancient Greek hero Hercules. It was given to the plant by Linnaeus for gigantic dimensions. In Danish, German and Dutch, the hogweed has received the name "bear paw".
According to written sources of the 16th century in Russia, the plant was called "borsch". According to one version, the word could mean something jagged. The name was given to the plant, most likely due to the shape of the leaves.
According to some reports, the young green of hogweed was used to make soup, which later became shortly called “borsch”. The concept underwent a change only in the 18th century. Since that time, soup with the addition of beets began to be called borsch.
Hogweed Mantegazzi: description of the plant
All representatives of the clan Hogweed can be recognized by a rather specific appearance. They are tall herbs, usually with a hollow stem and a rosette of long-leaved large leaves, dissected into several segments.
Sosnowski hogweed and giant are similar. Here are just a second much larger. The plant stem reaches a height of 6 m in height, grows up to 5-10 cm in a diameter. It has a characteristic purple hue or spotting. At the same time, Sosnovsky’s Hogweed grows only up to 3 m in height.
The species in question can be recognized by the characteristic 3-5 separate leaves with cirrus segments. They reach 3 m in length and have a rich dark green color. Hogweed Mantegazzi, like other representatives of the genus, is monocarpic. In other words, it blooms once and dies immediately after ripening. Huge umbrella inflorescences reach a diameter of one meter. They have 30-150 rays, on which numerous small white flowers are located. Their total number on one plant reaches 80 thousand. The flowering period lasts from June to August.
All cow-parsnips are characterized by a dry two-seeded fractional fruit, the ovule fruit.
Spread
Mantegazzi hogweed is a typical example of an invasive species. By such are meant plants, animals that are accidentally introduced by a person or independently spread along the corridors created by him into new regions for them and have successfully taken root there. Moreover, they began to actively multiply and capture new territories, thereby threatening the local flora and fauna.
Initially, a giant hogweed could only be found in the northwestern Caucasus. In the 19th century he was brought to England for breeding in the garden. People really liked the spectacular appearance of the plant, its huge inflorescences and unpretentiousness. In the end, hogweed seized not only the whole of Western Europe, but even reached the United States. Currently, it is rarely used to decorate gardens.
Hogweed of Sosnowski and Mantegazzi: which is more dangerous?
Danger to humans are both plants. The watery transparent juice of hogweed contains special photosensitive substances belonging to the group of furanocoumarins. Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, they become active and can cause burns on the skin of animals and people. The danger lies in the fact that at first the effect of juice is not felt at all. If there is contact with the plant on sunny days, a first degree burn may develop.
Studies confirm that if more than 80% of the body surface is affected, a person may die. In case of contact with eyes, hogweed juice can cause blindness. There were cases of loss of vision in children who played with hollow sturdy stems of the plant as telescopes, telescopes. If contact with plant juice has occurred, the skin should be washed immediately with soap and water and for the next two days to prevent exposure to this area of sunlight.
Sosnovsky hogweed is currently considered more dangerous. It has been proven that its juice has toxic properties even without photoactivation. It can cause abnormalities in the structure of chromosomes, mainly by damaging the spindle. In other words, juice has a mutagenic effect. In addition, it inhibits mitotic cell division.
