MILWAUKEE (AP) - State officials have confirmed a new giant invasive plant with toxic sap that can burn human skin has turned up in southeastern Wisconsin.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Department of Natural Resources confirmed hundreds of giant hogweed plants were present in Sheboygan in June.
The plant can grow to as high as 20 feet and sprout 3-foot leaves. Its sap contains glucosides that react with the sun's ultraviolet rays and can severely burn the skin, cause blisters or cause temporary blindness. The plant was first recorded in Wisconsin in 2004.
A crew from Brodhead-based Applied Ecological Services surveyed the Sheboygan neighborhood where the plants were found and sprayed more than 800 plants with herbicide.
