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Warning about poisonous plant Giant bear claw is a health hazard for children
The Giant Bear Claw plant is not only an aggressive "displacer", but also represents a danger to health. Because it comes to skin contact with the perennial, severe burns can occur, the healing is very lengthy. The plant is spreading rapidly and therefore represents a great risk especially for children. If the Giant Bear Claw occurs in its own garden, it should be removed from the expert's point of view. In all other places, it means being careful and in case of skin contact necessarily to avoid the sun.
Perennial spreads unhindered
For some years, a weed is spreading more and more, and one should be more careful about it. We are talking about the so-called "giant bear claw", which spreads rapidly and efficiently in foreign areas and displaces the native flora. In botany, the plant, also known as "Hercules shrub", is therefore referred to as an "invasive neophyte" - as an "invading new plant". The perennial grows up to four meters in a matter of weeks and can be recognized by its hairy stems with purple spots. The thick leaves grow to a point and the flower umbels often reach a diameter of up to 50 centimeters.
Beware of the widespread Giant Bear Claw: Even a short skin contact can cause severe burns. (Image: Fixativ / fotolia.com) Redness and blistering after skin contact
However, the giant hogweed not only displaces other plants in an aggressive way, but also poses a risk to health. The juice of the perennial contains substances (furocoumarins) which, in combination with UV radiation, can cause severe burns. For this "phototoxic reaction", it is sufficient if the plant is only slightly touched by the sunshine. Those affected first feel a burning sensation on the skin, then swelling, redness and blisters appear. In addition to skin irritation, it can also lead to fever, sweats and circulatory problems in severe cases. The healing often takes weeks, but scars and pigmentation often remain.
Bavarian mayor takes up the fight against the poisonous plague
Also in the Bavarian community of Ebermannsdorf, the giant plant that flourished from June to August spreads unhindered and has meanwhile "conquered" some locations in forest and meadow areas. "The shrubs are a great danger, especially for children who do not know the plant and play with it," said the first mayor Josef Gilch to the "Mittelbayrische Zeitung" newspaper. Gilch has now announced the poisonous perennial now the fight and brought for this purpose reinforcement by an expert from the district office and by employees of the construction yard.
As the perennials spread at a threatening speed throughout the Amberg-Sulzbach district, the aim of the "control measures" is to preserve the biodiversity in the region. If you left the Giant Bear Claw in peace, he would continue to try to displace the native plants. If the locations of the perennial discovered, usually follows a lengthy and complex manual control, for a successful repression, the root tubers must be regularly and carefully gouged out.
Parents should educate their children about the dangers
If the Giant Bear Claw grows in its own garden, it should be torn out from the expert's point of view, ideally excavating the top of the roots. Because only here the budding takes place. Alternatively, the plants can be easily mowed. As a result, the perennial dies only rarely, but grows in most cases quickly after. A spread can be prevented in this way, after all.
In general, it is important to be careful and to keep distance to the plant. Parents should show their children the shrubs and warn them urgently about the dangers. However, if skin contact occurs, it is especially important to avoid the sun, so that no phototoxic reaction can be triggered. The Giant Bear Claw occurs primarily on rivers and streams and along roadsides, but is also found in many gardens. (No)