Heads up
To all SoCal peeps...
There was a warning circulated today from the U.S. Department of Forestry at my job that read:
"As many of our local foothill areas continue the natural healing process from the fire scars of the last few years, Mother Nature is providing a few surprises in the process. One worth mentioning is in the colorful Poodle-dog bush, Turricula parryi. This beautiful purple flowered plant has populated many of the burned areas from the 2003 fires and will likewise do so within the areas burned in the fires of 2007. Touching this beautiful flowering plant can lead to severe dermatitis in many people, typical of that associated with poison oak. Symptoms include blistering of the skin, itchy irritated skin and swelling. Symptoms may not present themselves for 12-36 hours after exposure and no pain is experienced at the time of contact. All contact with the plant including touching, smelling flowers, and breathing particulate matter should be avoided as you would avoid poison oak."
I double checked with a buddy of mine that works in the U.S. Department of Forestry and he did confirm that although the claim of 'dermatitis' was a bit overboard, you really don't want to be in contact with these.
There was a warning circulated today from the U.S. Department of Forestry at my job that read:
"As many of our local foothill areas continue the natural healing process from the fire scars of the last few years, Mother Nature is providing a few surprises in the process. One worth mentioning is in the colorful Poodle-dog bush, Turricula parryi. This beautiful purple flowered plant has populated many of the burned areas from the 2003 fires and will likewise do so within the areas burned in the fires of 2007. Touching this beautiful flowering plant can lead to severe dermatitis in many people, typical of that associated with poison oak. Symptoms include blistering of the skin, itchy irritated skin and swelling. Symptoms may not present themselves for 12-36 hours after exposure and no pain is experienced at the time of contact. All contact with the plant including touching, smelling flowers, and breathing particulate matter should be avoided as you would avoid poison oak."
I double checked with a buddy of mine that works in the U.S. Department of Forestry and he did confirm that although the claim of 'dermatitis' was a bit overboard, you really don't want to be in contact with these.