SAPPORO–A highly toxic plant suspected to be giant hogweed, which can cause severe damage to the skin, has been discovered growing on the Hokkaido University campus here, university officials announced on June 25.
If confirmed, it would mark the first reported sighting of the plant in Japan, according to the Environment Ministry.
The giant hogweed, which is native to West Asia, is not officially classified as an invasive species in Japan. Contact with its sap, combined with exposure to sunlight, can cause severe skin burns.
The plant was found in a grassy area on the southeastern side of the campus, which is located in central Sapporo near residential areas and a day care center.
A source informed the university on June 24 that the plant had reportedly taken root on campus. Officials sealed off the area the following day, removing all visible flowers and leaves.
Experts at the university are currently examining the specimen to determine its exact identity.
STUDENTS RAISE ALARM
Nanako Tomioka, 26, a graduate student in the university’s School of Health Sciences, first became aware of the plant through a post on social media.
She was alarmed by its proximity to her research building and the possibility that fellow student volunteers might unknowingly touch it when they occasionally pull weeds on campus. She quickly alerted others.
One of them, 19-year-old undergraduate Daiki Morimoto, was skeptical at first, brushing it off as a hoax.
But later that evening, he went to the site out of curiosity. There, beyond a red safety cone marking the restricted area, he saw a tall plant with white flowers blending in with its surroundings.
“I thought I’d seen this before,” he recalled.
The next day, the plant had been cut down by university workers. Still uneasy, Morimoto revisited another part of campus near the athletic field and found similar-looking flowers.
When he tried an image recognition app to identify the plant, the result suggested it might be of the giant hogweed variety.
“The idea that this could be spreading across campus is terrifying,” Morimoto said. “I hope students are careful, especially those going into the bushes to retrieve balls.”
AloJapan.com