Hogweed was discovered today between 2 buildings on Martha Custis in a planting bed in the common element. Staff met with a representative of the Virginia Co-Op extension and Bill Munt of CLS to investigate and confirm the plants species. At present it was confirmed to be hogweed. There are several other plants that due look similar but do not carry the toxicity and health hazards as hogweed. If you come across this plant, please DO NOT TOUCH IT. The sap contains furocoumarin which to humans is strongly phototoxic. The sap can cause extreme skin burns and if the eyes are exposed could lead to blindness. It is not native to the United States and originates from South West Asia. We have attached a picture here of what it looks like and ask that you contact the office immediately. We have been given instructions on the safe and proper removal and will do so as quickly as possible. We also have posted a full description of the website, https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/CNRE/cnre-13/CNRE-13.pdf
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