Should we remove this selfsown beast from our border?

bArbArA Peel, by emAil

AMost people consider hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) a weed. Native to the UK and all of western Europe, it has large leaves and clusters of unpleasant-smelling white or pinkish flowers on stems about 1.2m (4ft) high. Don’t confuse it with giant hogweed though. That’s a large, introduced plant that causes severe light-linked dermatitis. Yours isn’t quite as malicious!