P. PYSEK

It is a giant indeed, and not just because it can stand four to five meters tall. The stuff of science fiction and a mean herb from hell, the giant hogweed has become a very real and giant headache to regions attempting to conserve native plants and wildlife as the herbal equivalent of Goliath spreads from the Caucasus across Europe. This collection of 19 current papers, part of the result of a three-year project involving 40 EU experts, addresses issues related to managing the giant hogweed, including its taxonomy, identification, genetic relationships, distribution, historical dynamics of invasion, reproductive ecology, seed germination and dispersal, population dynamics, regenerative ability, habitat, impact on vegetation and humans, related arthropods and fungal pathogens, and means of mechanical, chemical and biological control. The collection concludes with papers on revegetation and model-assisted evaluation of control. Distributed by Oxford U. Press. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)