First it was giant hogsweed, now another plant could cause painful burns and blisters to humans who come in contact with it.
Charlotte Murphy has learned how dangerous the small, delicate yellow flowers can be.
Murphy and her boss were driving near Bennington, Vermont, when they stopped at an area alongside the road that had been cleared and had picnic tables, WPTZ reported.
That’s where Murphy said she brushed up against the leaves of the wild parsnip. She didn’t know she had some of the plant’s sap on her skin.
Days later, she had large, yellow blisters forming on her legs.
Experts say the sun when combined with sap can cause burn-like reactions.
"If your skin comes in contact with the sap or juice in the plant, your skin can develop almost a sunburn when your skin is out in the sun," Sarah Vose, who is with the Vermont Department of Health, told WPTZ.
What can you do if you come in contact with the plant?
First, Vose told WPTZ, wash your skin as soon as you can. Then stay out of the sun for a few days.
Murphy posted photos of what happened to her on social media in hopes of warning others and preventing them from having similar experiences.
According to the Department of Environmental Conservation in New York, the plants are about 5 feet tall with hollow, grooved stems. They have small, yellow flowers in clusters. The plant is considered invasive and is common in the U.S. and Canada.
CBS News reported that the plant is the most irritating while it has flowers.
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