THE POISON GARDEN website 
Pontifications on Poison
Being some ramblings on events associated with poisonous plants.
Sunday 22nd June 2014
I noticed that I have quite a large Heracleum sphondylium, hogweed or cow parsnip, in the garden. It's not really a garden plant and, if I'd seen it before, I would have removed it.
As it was more or less mature and partially in flower I took the opportunity to get some footage to illustrate the latest 'Poisonous Plant 1-2-1' video about the other plants that can make the skin sensitive to ultra-violet light.
Plenty of people know about the problems Heracleum mantegazzianum, giant hogweed, causes but not that many people realise than, in the right (wrong?) circumstances there are other plants that can cause similar injury.
To illustrate the harm I've used images sent to me by a victim of one of these plants. When I show them during a talk, I always warn the audience what to expect but they still produce gasps.
Here's the video but you have been warned.