Hogweed - a poisonous plant, belonging to the family of Umbelliferae, genus geraklium (Heracleum).It refers to respiratory allergens, specific smell (kerosene-like) you can feel it from a distance of about 5 m. In total there are about 70 species, but in Russia can be found only 15.
name "parsnip" plant has received because of his earlierleaves used in the preparation of borscht cabbage instead.Caught on and other names: "herculean grass" - for the enormous growth, "bear paw" - for the value of the similarity of leaf shape with limb clumsy.
Cow parsnip - the plant is a biennial or perennial, depending on the species.Its height can range from 20 cm to 4 m. The stems are hollow with small hairs.The leaves are trifoliate or dvoychatye collected in the rosette can reach a length of 2 m (in some species to 3.5 m).The flowers are inconspicuous greenish-white, clustered in umbrella inflorescence diameter of 40 cm (some species - more than 1.2 m).The fruit is dvusemyanka (visloplodnik).Seeds ripen until September, easily crumble.Beautiful honey plant - a plant cow parsnip.Photo shows its good.
Many people know that contact with this plant causes skin lesions similar to burns.However, this applies only to one species, namely cow parsnip Sosnowski, who is a malignant weed aggressor.Skin lesions occur from falling juice plants and exposed to sunlight, because it contains furokumariny.Especially dangerous are such contacts for children are even cases of deaths.
The other species - Siberian cow parsnip - useful plant, used in cooking and traditional medicine.Coumarin it contains very little, and furokumarinov which have a sensitizing effect at all.From its roots make concoctions that are used for skin diseases, relieves itching and irritation.A poultice of the leaves helps with rheumatic pains.
In the last century in the Soviet Union tried to use for feeding cattle cow parsnip.The plant even civilize, t. E. Brought new varieties with a low content of coumarin.It attracts a huge green mass, which contains proteins, sugars, vitamins and minerals, which grew almost without care, reproduce self-seeding.But with the collapse of the country all the work was stopped.
However, cow parsnip - aggressive plant seeds in it are formed of different quality, t. E. Some of them germinate in the first year, others - ripen in the ground for several years.Furthermore, they contain substances essential-oil.Remains on the surface of the earth, the shell of the seed rots, and these substances remain on the surface of the soil and inhibit the development of seeds of other plants, t. E. Provide their "brothers" the best conditions for germination, removing competitors.Given that a single plant can mature to 20 thousand seeds easily by the wind (and under favorable conditions - all of 70,000), cow parsnip began to occupy more and more space and become a scourge of fields, gardens and parks.
get rid of this aggressor only by destroying the seeds, as the plant is not root seedlings forms.Given that the seeds can sprout up to 15 years, will have to fight long.In a small area in the spring need to dig up all the sprouts.If this is cleared, the budding period is necessary to remove all blossoms.Before it should be thoroughly protect the skin from contact with the juice, otherwise dermatoses can not be avoided.It is important not to let the seeds ripen.
