These harmful weeds make chemicals that can burn and even scar your skin.
They produce chemicals that can cause your skin to blister, burn, and even scar.
Heres a list of 8 weeds you should steer clear of.
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Youre trying to remove the oils and sap that will cause irritation.
Remove any clothing the plant touched and the oils and saps that can spread from contaminated items.
Peter Krumhardt
1.
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
Poison Ivy
Poison ivy(Toxicodendron radicans)isperhaps the most notorious nasty weed out there.
Get this: This loathsome species is getting bigger and nastier thanks toclimate change.
Greenhouse gases are supercharging poison ivy,causing its growth and potency to double since the 1960s.
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The future is looking itchier as well as hotter.
Never burn poison ivy.
Inhaling it has been fatal in rare cases.
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2.
Giant hogweed is aptly named.
The plant can grow up to 14 feet tall with 5-foot-wide leaves and 2.5-foot-wide, umbrella-shaped.
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Giant hogweed sap has even caused blindness in people who got its sap in their eyes.
This is one bad weed.
Denny Schrock
3.
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Poison sumac is shrub-like and can grow up to 25 feet tall.
Poison sumac leaves are reddish-orange in the spring and fall, and deep, glossy green in the summer.
It spreads by rhizomes and seeds and can thrive inlight shade to full sun.
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It pops up along roadside ditches and in disturbed areas like your flower beds.
Look for the plants hairy, serrated leaves growing on hairy stems that reach up to 6 feet tall.
Rob Cardillo
6.
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Like giant hogweed, its sap can cause painful burning and blistering if you brush against the plant.
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7.
Cow Parsnip
Cow parsnip(Heracleum maximum)is in the same family as giant hogweed.
It is native to North America and found in almost every area withinUSDA Zones 4a to 10a.
Cow parsnip is sometimes called Indian celery or American cow parsnip.
Its sap isnt as dangerous as giant hogweeds, but its still a harmful plant you shouldnt touch.
Its sap is so toxic it can cause permanent scarring on your skin.
Woodland angelica looks like other non-toxic angelicas as well as fellow toxic weeds giant hogweed and wild parsnip.
Wild angelica is abiennial memberof the carrot family that spreads through prolific seed production.
What Climate Change Feels Like: A More Toxic Poison Ivy.The New York Times
Giant Hogweed.
New York State Dept.
