The story of how the hogweed conquered Russia. How dangerous is the hogweed: where did it come from in Russia and how to deal with the poisonous plant? The history of the appearance of the hogweed in the USSR

Latin name: Heracleum sosnowskyi.

Family: Umbrella

The plant received its name in honor of flora researcher D.I. Sosnovsky, who artificially bred this species from wild Caucasian grass. The purpose of breeding was to obtain a silage crop that is easy to grow and produces a large volume of juicy greens.

Due to mass cultivation, Hogweed is widespread not only in the countries of the former USSR, but also in other countries. At the moment, there is no exact data on the localization of the plant.

It grows almost everywhere: along roads, in floodplains, in fields, forest edges, wastelands, on mountain slopes and in other places. In fact, the plant is so resilient that it grows in any conditions.

Sosnovsky's hogweed contains a large amount of essential oils, which contain photosensitizing substances. If they come into contact with the skin, they cause severe burns. The plant is most dangerous on hot days, when it releases a large amount of essential oils. This plant began to be cultivated under Stalin, but subsequently it was abandoned due to the above circumstances.

Hogweed can grow up to 4 meters in height - it is a giant plant with dark green trifoliate or pinnately dissected leaves and a huge umbrella inflorescence. The diameter of such a “flower” is about 80 cm. The flowers are white or pink; there are more than 80 thousand flowers on one umbrella. Blooms from July to August. The root system is taprooted, individual roots can go to a depth of up to two meters.

Sosnovsky's hogweed is a perennial plant, monocarpic (it blooms and bears fruit only once, after which the plant dies). Life expectancy is about 3-5 years, provided that no outside factors interfere with his life. If the plant is cut before flowering, its lifespan is extended.

The plant reproduces exclusively with the help of seeds; vegetative propagation is impossible. In most cases, Sosnowski's Hogweed is pollinated by bees, but this is not necessary; some flowers are self-fertilized and are able to sprout.

After contact with Hogweed, you must thoroughly wash the affected areas with soap, protect the affected area from sunlight, or treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate or alcohol. Each person's reaction to the plant is individual, so great care should be taken when coming into contact with it. If the burn is very severe or mucous membranes are involved in the affected area, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Delay can lead to serious consequences, in some cases to death.

Where did hogweed come from in Russia and how to fight it? Sensational historical information about the entry of a toxic plant into the territory of the USSR and the Russian Federation.

Almost everyone knows about the terrible consequences of human contact with Sosnowski's hogweed - it can cause first-degree burns, cause complete loss of vision, and if large areas of skin are affected, lead to death. But few people know how the hogweed got to the Russians, and there is a terrible truth behind it.

The appearance of hogweed on the territory of the USSR first became known in the mid-40s. Russian historian A.M. Karamzin, in his research, argued that the plant was artificially introduced by Nazi Germany into the USSR as a biological weapon. In the event of a quick victory, the Germans feared the escalation of the partisan war, so they intended to sow the free areas with hogweed, which had no equal even among industrial barriers. It was impossible to overcome the forest belt planted with this toxic shrub, and if desired, entire large fields could be planted, making the territory impossible for human settlement.

Blacks and Jews especially suffered from phytophotodermatitis, who, due to their tall stature, collected a fair amount of pollen on the shape of their skulls and received burns. This was only to the advantage of the Nazis.

Adolf Hitler in the hogweed thickets

However, the Germans did not take into account the ingenuity of the Russian people. The seeds and sprouted stems began to be used as food for livestock, so only single patches of hogweed were able to reproduce. And people deftly knocked the bushes that had already grown to the ground with felt boots, after which they took them to the compost. Rotted hogweed served as an excellent fertilizer.

In addition, from Sosnovsky's hogweed, the NKVD learned to cook rich, poisonous borscht, which they then tossed to Bandera's followers and the rebels of the Ukrainian SSR.

How to deal with hogweed?

On a large scale, removing hogweed from areas is possible with the help of herbicides. However, special preparations that would remove this particular type of plant have not yet been developed. Therefore, the measure is ineffective.

The most effective method is to remove the plant directly at the root before it enters the reproductive stage. The best tool for this is a long-handled flat cutter. Naturally, protective clothing is required, including a mask to protect the eyes and respiratory tract.

A scythe and a flat cutter are the main tools for fighting Sosnowski's hogweed

Using a flat cutter, the root of the hogweed is trimmed at a depth of approximately 4-5 cm underground. Due to this, further growth stops. The cut top part can be burned or left to rot.

You can also remove a single bush or small thickets with a regular shovel, then dig the place to a depth of 20-30 cm.

Lukashenko and Depardieu feed the horse hogweed to find out what will happen

Adult plants can be mowed with a long scythe, using a chemical protective cape, and then the roots can be removed with a handy tool.

It is not difficult to fight hogweed; the most important thing is to prevent the appearance of umbrellas. If umbrellas have already appeared, then it is better to wait a little longer and, observing safety precautions, burn the area when the stems are dry.

Sosnovsky's hogweed, which appeared in Russia, is, of course, an unpleasant phenomenon that carries a certain danger. However, if you wish and have protective equipment, it can be easily overcome.

Hogweeds are perennial plants from the Apiaceae family. The genus of hogweed has about 70 species, of which 40 are found in Russia. The plants owe their unusual name to a popular dish to which some edible species of hogweed were added until potatoes appeared in Russia.

Due to their large size, hogweeds are popularly called Hercules' grass.

In addition to the edible species of hogweed (Siberian, dissected and hairy), there are inedible and dangerous species for humans, one of which has become a serious threat to the health of people and livestock - Sosnówskyi hogweed (Heracléum sosnówskyi). This species received its name in honor of the outstanding flora researcher Caucasus Dmitry Ivanovich Sosnovsky (1885-1952).

Sosnovsky's hogweed is an artificially bred species. Its wild ancestors were found in the mountainous regions of Armenia. The plants were larger in size compared to their Central Russian and Siberian relatives, and also formed a large green mass. In the 40s In the 20th century, this species came to the attention of scientists as a promising crop for feed production. The history of the origin of the new species is shrouded in mystery. It is only known that after the nth number of years of research, in the laboratory of a certain Caucasian All-Russia Research Institute, whose name is not even mentioned anywhere, scientists whose names also remain a mystery, a miracle plant was born - Sosnovsky's hogweed, a plant that was considered the hope for a solution problems of feed production in the USSR.

Initially, the plant seemed fabulously promising: its height reaches 4 meters, the diameter of the stem at the root collar is 10 cm, the accumulation of green mass is simply incredible. It tolerates frosts down to -5 C, which is very important for the northern regions of the country. It has colossal seed productivity; up to 50,000 seeds are produced on one plant. In the early stages, hogweeds grow slowly, but by mid-summer they reach 1.5 m in height. Crops of Sosnovsky's hogweed are not affected by insect pests. In addition, the seeds contain active substances that inhibit the development of seeds of other plants when they enter the soil, which reduces energy and resource costs for controlling weeds and pests. Quickly restores the above-ground part after cuttings. In the second or third years of life it produces a huge amount of green mass, which makes it an excellent silage producer.

In addition, it was intended to use Sosnovsky's hogweed as a fence along the edges of roads and pastures. The plant bears fruit only once in its life, for 3-4 years, after which it dies.

It seemed like what more could you want?! At the same time, one strange circumstance was discovered: none of the scientists until the 60s of the twentieth century mentioned in their works the shortcomings of hogweed. More than one dissertation was written on this crop, and the disadvantages of the fabulous plant were revealed only after the beginning of its mass introduction into crop rotations of farms throughout the country.

The main introducer of hogweed into production was an outstanding scientist, academician of the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, President of the Academy of Sciences, and concurrently Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the USSR P.P. Vavilov, defended two dissertations on the little-known hogweed crop at that time.

Almost immediately after the first mass introduction of Sosnovsky's hogweed into crop rotation, it became clear that the crop was not suitable for silage. Due to too high juiciness, hogweed silage was of poor quality. In addition, the milk of cows switched to cow parsnip turned out to taste bitter and for some reason did not sour.

Another unpleasant feature of the miracle culture soon became clear. People who worked with hogweed crops received first- to third-degree burns.

It turned out that the leaves of Sosnovsky's hogweed plants contain furanocoumarins, which increase the skin's sensitivity to sunlight, namely ultraviolet radiation, and cause burns, even through thick clothing. The severity of burns depends on the individual characteristics of the human body. There are, however, lucky people who do not have burns after contact with hogweed, but there are only a few of them. The worst thing is that furanocoumarins remain in the green mass after ensiling. Being in very small concentrations in feed, they are quite capable of improving the meat and milk productivity of animals, but an excess of furanocoumarins is dangerous for livestock, as it leads to infertility, excessive walking, abortion and lactation disorders, due to the fact that furanocoumarins have estrogenic activity. Due to the antiseptic properties of furfnocoumarins, milk is difficult to ferment.

But the unpleasant discoveries did not end there. Sosnovsky's hogweed showed simply fantastic vitality. It soon became clear that its reproduction and spread could not be controlled. Plants throw out flower stalks even after mowing. Small and light hogweed seeds are freely dispersed by the wind. Plants quickly run wild, grow in dense thickets along roadsides, in lowlands and on arable land, displacing useful plants, destroying established biocenoses, and as a result, upsetting the ecological balance. It turned out to be almost impossible to remove hogweed.

The tap root system of plants extends into the soil up to a meter deep. It is quite difficult to dig up such a root, but if at least a small piece of the main root remains in the soil, the plant will definitely grow again. Existing modern, latest chemical means of combating hogweed do not kill the seeds, which are located in the soil at a depth of 25 cm and remain viable for 4 years.

Dead stems of Hogweed Sosnowski are easily flammable, which is especially dangerous in dry and hot summers, especially since Hogweed always grows in dense thickets.

The insidiousness of hogweed lies in the fact that the burn does not appear immediately. Initially, people do not experience any discomfort, and only after some time do burns of varying severity appear, often accompanied by a deterioration in their general condition and an increase in temperature. After contact with the sap of the plant, it is necessary to urgently rinse the affected area of ​​skin with water and apply a bandage with synthomycin emulsion.

Thanks to its incredible ability to reproduce, Sosnovsky's hogweed has spread throughout Russia and Europe, becoming the scourge of rural residents, summer residents and tourists. Reproducing by self-sowing, it grows in vegetable gardens, fields, and comes close to residential buildings.

It has long ago become a natural disaster, which the population is unable to combat on its own. Burns are caused not only by the juice, but also by the pollen of the plant. The only clothing in which you can come into contact with hogweed is a chemical protection suit. Moreover, hogweed is most dangerous on humid and cloudy days, much more than in clear weather, since due to low transpiration (evaporation of water due to the open state of stomata on the leaves), a lot of furanocoumarins accumulate in the leaves of plants. The same process occurs during the flowering period.

Precautions when working with hogweed

Let us now consider what it means to “work carefully with hogweed”:

1. Before starting work, apply sunscreen to at least your hands and face;

2. Prepare water and soap so that if juice accidentally gets on your body, you can wash it off;

3. Do not touch any parts of the plant with exposed areas of the body;

4. Work only with long, waterproof gloves. Never use fabric gloves when working with hogweed;

5. You must wear trousers and jackets with long sleeves. It is better to wear clothes made from waterproof materials. Cotton and linen are not suitable, as they easily absorb sap and can also be punctured by plant fibers.

6. It would also be good to wear boots, or, in extreme cases, other closed, waterproof shoes.

7. And it is very advisable to use safety glasses.

8. After working with hogweed, do not touch the juice that remains on gloves, tools, shoes, or clothes with your bare hands.

9. Be sure to wash your tools and shoes immediately after finishing work;

10. Wash your clothes after working with hogweed;

11. Try to keep the sun (ultraviolet) away from your skin;

12. It is better to start exterminating hogweed after sunset or in cloudy weather;

13. DO NOT USE trimmers or hedge trimmers as sap may splatter in all directions.

14. If you work in tandem with someone, then work away from each other.

Do you think this is too much? As they say, for the time being. If you get a burn that does not go away for a long time, next time you will be careful in all respects.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY BURNED YOURSELF WITH HORGE OR POISHED WITH ITS JUICE?

Firstly, if you are burned by hogweed, you must immediately wash the affected area of ​​skin with soap and IT IS VERY DESIRABLE not to expose it to the sun for 48 hours (sunbathing after working with hogweed is strictly contraindicated).

You can additionally treat the area with panthenol.

If the juice gets into your eyes, you should rinse them with plenty of water and then wear sunglasses for several days.

These measures can reduce the likelihood of a burn or prevent it altogether. If even slight redness occurs, then it is better to protect this area with sunscreen for several years.

Well, if a burn does appear, especially with blisters, then it is best to consult a doctor. Do not break the blisters under any circumstances; if they burst, apply a sterile bandage.

Currently, the species of Sosnovsky's hogweed has stepped far beyond the borders of the Russian Federation, and the fight against it is becoming a problem on a global scale.

Our Moscow region has always pleased us with mushrooms and rivers, but this is still the case. Currently, a very dangerous enemy of humans has spread in the fields and edges of the forest - a poisonous plant called Hogweed. It is sometimes difficult and even dangerous to pass through two-meter thickets. But what if you got a dacha with this “comrade”? Let's figure out what the reason is and how to deal with this problem.

What is Hogweed?

Hogweed Sosnowski or Heracleum- a species of plant from the umbrella family of very large sizes. Usually its height is 1-2 meters, but specimens up to 3 meters high are often found.

Biennial plant or perennial, monocarpic (that is, it blooms and bears fruit once in its life, after which it dies). The stem is furrowed-ribbed, rough, partially hairy, purple or with purple spots, bears very large trifoliate or pinnately dissected leaves, usually yellowish-green in color. It has a root tap system, the bulk of the roots are located in a layer of up to 0.3 meters, individual roots reach a depth of two meters.

Another type of Hogweed that we remember from childhood is the Siberian Hogweed - an umbellate perennial edible plant. It is often called a beam in Russia. The core of the stem is quite edible and has a slightly sweet taste.

History of the spread of Hogweed Sosnowski

Hogweed was already well known in Ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder called it “Heracleum”, thereby emphasizing its power and durability.

How did Hogweed appear on Russian territory? In the early Stalinist times, the USSR began to actively cooperate with the United States. We also adopted best practices. There was nothing to feed livestock in the post-war period, so we looked at American farmers.

In the USSR, hogweed was artificially sown to feed livestock, and then its uncontrolled self-propagation began. In the 1990s, the cultivation of hogweed was abandoned. Currently, in Russia it is widespread in the Moscow region, Tatarstan, and the Caucasus.

What is the danger?

Hogweed is a poisonous plant. Only when a small drop of juice gets on an open area of ​​skin does a person get burns.

During the growing season, the stem of hogweed contains furanocoumarins, which cause severe dermatitis in humans and animals. Its effect is similar to a burn. As soon as you carelessly touch the hogweed, large blisters swell on the skin, which over time turn into dark, painful spots and scars. The lesions take a very long time to heal - 3-6 months.

The burn can recur spontaneously after some time, as soon as the person sunbathes a little. If large areas of skin are exposed to hogweed, death is possible (this often happens to children). But it’s not any easier for adults either. The pain from hogweed burns is very painful and long-lasting.

Heraclium can cause blindness if its juice gets into your eyes. The ubiquitous children are especially often victims of this giant weed.

How to deal with hogweed?

In fact, this problem needs to be solved not even at the level of local authorities, but by the whole world. Only a full-scale comprehensive annual company can reduce it

There are methods to combat hogweed:

Use of herbicide. Roundup can be used against hogweed. Dilute 100 ml per 4 liters of water. The resulting solution is sprayed with a spray bottle onto the young leaves of the hogweed. Four liters are enough for about 80 square meters. meters of hogweed thickets. The first generation of the plant is killed by 75%.

Mowing thickets. When mowing this grass, you need to be extremely careful: wear thick clothing, cover your hands and face. By mowing plants before flowering, you can prevent flowering and seed formation. However, old seeds in the ground will try to break through and bloom for 12 years.

Sowing the lawn. We mow down the hogweed. We spread geo-textile on top. Pour a five-centimeter layer of soil. And we plant strong lawn grass there, sparing no seeds. You need to make sure that the hogweed does not bloom nearby and does not shed new seeds.

Black film. To set up a real vegetable garden, in the first year in the spring, cover the entire area with a black film with a thickness of at least 100 microns. Press something on top. In the second year, starting in mid-June, remove the film. Dig up the soil and plant vegetables. Please note that the film should remain on the site all year round.

Precautions when working with hogweed

• Apply sunscreen;


• Prepare water and soap;


• Do not touch the plant with exposed areas of the body;


• Work only with long, waterproof gloves;


• Wear trousers and jackets with long sleeves and water-resistant materials;


• Put boots on your feet;


• We use safety glasses;


• After finishing work, wash the tools;


• Wash your clothes; Do not use trimmers or hedge trimmers;


• If you work in pairs with someone, then work away from each other.

What to do if Hogweed juice gets on you?

If contact with hogweed juice occurs, the contact areas must be washed with laundry soap. If blisters appear, measures are taken that are always prescribed after burns.