A plant capable of causing severe burns and possibly even blindness has become abundant in St. Lawrence County and little is being done to stop its spread.

Wild parsnip measures three to five feet in height and features yellow umbrella-like flowers that are similar in appearance to Queen Anne’s Lace. But lurking just inside the plant is a dangerous toxin that causes phyto-photo-dermatitis, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Dangerous Plant

Phyto-photo-dermatitis is a condition caused by a chemical in the plant’s sap coats the skin with a chemical that changes when exposed to sunlight. If skin comes into contact with parsnip sap and is then exposed to sunlight the result can be severe.

Symptoms to exposure begin with redness, but within days these will often grow into large blisters that rise on the skin. The blisters can continue for days and take weeks to heal.

They also tend to leave long lasting changes in pigment and scars that can be permanent, according to the DEC. While reports that the sap can also lead to blindness exist, DEC officials are unsure if the reports are accurate.

“Wild parsnip can cause severe burns. We have not seen a confirmed case of permanent blindness. You will often see blindness mentioned with giant hogweed and wild parsnip but we cannot confirm nor deny this possibility,” officials said in a release.

Dealing With Exposure

[img_assist|nid=177816|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=300|height=411]With the plant likely to continue its spread, exposure to wild parsnip and giant hogweed will likely become more common.

If skin is exposed to the plant’s sap the affected area should be thoroughly washed with soap and water. The exposed skin should then be covered and kept out of sunlight for 48 hours. Exposure to the parsnip sap will not have any serious effect on skin if it is not exposed to sunlight.

DEC officials also recommend seeking medical treatment from a physician if exposure has occurred.

As for removing the plant itself, the Cornell Cooperative Extension says the best way is to remove the entire root just below ground level with a shovel.

Cutting the root below ground apparently stops the plant from re-sprouting. It is also important to make sure all seeds have been removed from the area. The seeds should be burned.

What’s Being Done?

Despite the severity of the threat, little is being done to stop the spread of the dangerous plant or its closely related cousin giant hogweed, which is also creeping into the county. The sap from hogweed has the same effect as that of wild parsnip, but the plant itself is much larger.

Hogweed has similar flowers, except the hogweed flowers are white, making it hard to distinguish from Queen Anne’s Lace. The largest difference between the plants is that hogweed grows as high as fifteen feet, while Queen Anne’s Lace is much shorter.

DEC officials encourage people to make reports to “imap” the plant at www.nyimapinvasives.org but offers no assistance in removing it and has no active plan to combat its spread.

“On the latest ranking of NYS Invasiveness Assessment Scores, wild parsnip received a score of 52, moderately invasive. The current list of Part 575 prohibited and regulated species was derived from species that scored High or Very High (70 or above). So it is unlikely that wild parsnip would be regulated at the state level in the foreseeable future,” officials said in response to why the spread was not being addressed.

With little help being offered by the government and environmental groups the burden for curbing the plants spread lies on individuals.