These giant beautiful flowers can leave you with burns, blisters and lifelong scars. Here's what to know about giant hogweed.
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In nature, it's often better to look and not touch. And when it comes to one particular flower that can inspire awe with its great height, there is no better warning. The giant hogweed is a massive, invasive plant across the U.S. and U.K. that is as harmful as it is attractive. Its sap can cause human skin to burn, blister and even scar, and New York officials have made their stance extremely clear on how people should interact with it: "Do not touch this plant!" "Brushing against or breaking the plant releases sap that, combined with sunlight and moisture, can cause a severe burn within 24 to 48 hours," New York's Department of Environmental Conservation says on its website . Giant hogweed is seen in England during the summer. Getty Images/iStockphoto The plant is often confused with cow parsnip , but unlike the nativ