Do Not Touch These 4 Plants in New York to Avoid Painful Burns

There are lots of things to love about summer in Central New York.

The warm temperatures, beautiful sunsets, and plenty of outdoor activities, from the water to the trails. One thing not to love? Several plants that could cause severe burns if you touch them. And they are growing all over the state.

Hogweed Season

It's Giant Hogweed season. Just like annual flowers and the leaves on the tree, giant hogweed plants begin flowering every summer. Unlike flowers, you DO NOT want to touch them.

Credit - NYS DEC

Do NOT Touch

The NY Department of Environmental Conservation warns residents to avoid hogweed, a plant that will make poison ivy seem like a walk in the park.

Giant hogweed is a very large, non-native, invasive plant whose sap can cause painful burns and scarring.

Sap Causes Severe Burns

Calamine lotion won't do much to help relieve the pain the sap from this plant can cause. It stands between seven to fourteen feet tall with broad leaves sometimes spanning nearly five feet in width. Other characteristics include purple splotches on the stem with white coarse hairs.

Photo Credit - Bob Kleinberg/NY DEC

Painful Plants

It's tricky properly identifying the giant hogweed plant because there are several look-alikes. Wild Parsnip, Cow Parsnip, and Angelica can also cause burns, but not nearly as bad as Hogweed. Here's a look at 3 other painful plants in New York to avoid this summer season.

Credit - NYS DEC

Credit- NYS DEC

Credit - NYS DEC

Report Hogweed

Where possible, the DEC eradicates Hogweed not located on private property or with a property owner's permission.

If you have spotted a plant in the wild, the DEC asks you to snap photos of flowers, leaves and stems and email them to: ghogweed@dec.ny.gov for confirmation.

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Read more about Giant Hogweed and similar-looking plants at the DEC's website.

LOOK: Here Are 30 Foods That Are Poisonous to Dogs

To prepare yourself for a potential incident, always keep your vet's phone number handy, along with an after-hours clinic you can call in an emergency. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center also has a hotline you can call at (888) 426-4435 for advice.

Even with all of these resources, however, the best cure for food poisoning is preventing it in the first place. To give you an idea of what human foods can be dangerous, Stacker has put together a slideshow of 30 common foods to avoid. Take a look to see if there are any that surprise you.

Gallery Credit: Rachel Cavanaugh