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Monday 23 July 2012

Wild Parsnip Burns Watch Out!

Kawartha Lakes Mums - Show your children this dangerous weed!
Wild Parsnip,often mistaken for Giant Hogweed can cause severe skin irritation. OMAFRA - Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food recently issued an alert to warn farm workers that Wild Parsnip is in bloom.

Image Wild Parsnip

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Rural Affairs cautions
it is very important that everyone that enters a field, an orchard or a vineyard be able to identify it, because you definitely do not want to touch this weed.

Why Wild Turnip is Dangerous

According to the online Wild turnip OMAFRA fact sheet:
Similar to giant hogweed, wild parsnip contains furocoumarins which can cause severe skin dermatitis, when activated by sunlight. The severity of dermatitis is largely proportional to the amount of contact made between skin and the vegetative material (i.e stems, leaves) of the plant. The 'burn' reaction usually appears a day or two after exposure, and only in places touched by the sap and exposed to the sun. In mild cases, affected skin turns red and feels like a sunburn. In more typical cases, skin reddens, often hurts and forms large blisters. Unlike blisters caused by poison ivy, wild parsnip blisters do not spread.

Find out more about Wild Turnip aka in the July 13 Hort Matters News letter

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