Heracleum sosnowskyi

Heracleum sosnowskyi
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Apiales
Family:	Apiaceae
Genus:	Heracleum
Species:	H. sosnowskyi
Binomial name
Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden., 1944

Sosnowsky's hogweed (Heracleum sosnowskyi) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, originally native to Caucasus. Now it is a common weed in the Baltic States, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.

The species is named in honor of the Russian botanist Dmitrii Ivanovich Sosnowsky (1885-1952), who found the species in Georgia in 1936.

H. sosnowskyi is 3–5 m in height, with a straight, firm stem that can reach a diameter of 12 cm. The leaves are 50–60 cm long. The root is very firm, up to 30 cm diameter. The inflorescence is a big umbel found at the end of every stem. It blooms during July through September and produces thousands of seeds. They are easily distributed by the wind, but especially by the water.

All parts of H. sosnowskyi contain the intense toxic allergen furanocoumarin. It is dangerous for humans because even small drops of plant's juice cause photosensitivity and burns. The plant is less dangerous for animals that have thick hair to protect them from the sun. In Russia, H. sosnowskyi once was used as a silage plant, and sometimes as a shield-hedge along the roads, preventing farm animals from escaping and wild animals from getting in. Flowers are largely visited by flies and beetles; bees do not appear to favor its nectar.

The plant was once common only in the Caucasus area, but due to a decision to use it as a silage plant, it quickly spread in many areas of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. This decision was made in 1947, under Stalin's rule, so later, when the species proved to be highly invasive and difficult to remove, people started to call it "Stalin's revenge".

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Wikipedia