anyone know what this plant is?
by
Cheryl S
+54
My husband brushed up against it, and it "trashed" his forearm. It has been 10 days and the arm is still red and sore and peeling. I have looked into poison ivy, oak, and sumac, and none match. Thanks!
57 answers
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It's not necessarily a particularly nasty poisonous plant that "bit" your husband. First, different plants cause various reactions in people. Also, it could just be that his cuts got infected in this case, and it wasn't even the plant's fault, really.
3po3
on May 02, 2012
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Looks like Virginia creeper, alot of people are allergic to it just like poison ivy...
Teresa K
on May 03, 2012
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my mom, who has passed away, knew the actual name of this plant but all I can remember is the nick name she called it - "cow itch" !!
Jeannie Connelley B
on May 03, 2012
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The leaves are characteristic to lantana,but I don't see any blooms;does it flower?
Sharon Kay W
on May 03, 2012
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That just looks like a raspberry plant that,and while it has thorns,it is not really a plant known to cause much reaction except cuts from the thorns.
Willie F
on May 03, 2012
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i wonder if this is a plant referred to as sting weed? we have sting weed in nebraska and if you touch it, it will "bite" you, causing a stinging sensation that can last for days. just a thought. hope you find out what it is.
Nea M
on May 03, 2012
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I don't recognize it. I'd take a sample of the plant with your husband to a dermatologist (wearing gloves doing so of course). It could be the plant or it may be that he was just allergic to it.
Tracy N
on May 03, 2012
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It looks like Purslane. Purslane is a low growing weed that is occasionally used in salads. Are the stems sort of fleshy and full of liquid? He might be allergic to that.
Jennifer V
on May 03, 2012
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Where are you located??? That might help me fiqure it out...............
Sally P
on May 03, 2012
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Where do you live? It almost looks like Stinging Nettle but the leaves are a bit rounded in this photo.
Ginger H
on May 03, 2012
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no it's prob the plant .. when we were little we had a plant like that all over the property in the country!! We would just call it "bad weed" but in Spanish I think it was called STINGING NETTLE. And yea it gives you the worst rash and burns and takes awhile to go away !!!! put calamine lotion thats what my mom would do !!... Good Luck !!
Sylvia R
on May 03, 2012
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I can't identify the plant....but I CAN tell you that it is NOT Virginia creeper. Virginia creeper is a climbing vine.
Aubrey L
on May 03, 2012
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Not what they call Virginia Creeper here in Jax...... I have them and they are the proverbial thorn in my side.
Sheryll S
on May 03, 2012
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I am one of the super allergic. Yes, carry a tube o RX medicine with me in the summer. Watch for red edges- Red on them, red on you...
Lynn T
on May 03, 2012
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If you are on the west coast, it could be poison oak, but the leaves don't look quite right.
Chris S
on May 03, 2012
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I don't want even ONE more nasty growing things, so puleeze keep it over there in AZ?? Please, please, please?
Sheryll S
on May 03, 2012
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I researched also and it's not any of the above plants. I would suggest you take the photo's (which are very good btw) to a local nursery, botanical garden center or send them to a local edu extension for identification. Could it have been an insect on the bush instead?
Linn L
on May 03, 2012
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It's definitely NOT stinging nettle (the leaves are much "spikier" on nettle)...My yard is covered with that stuff in the spring. It looks like one of the many varieties of poison oak to me.
Donna G
on May 03, 2012
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Looks a bit like witch hazel leaf I though Virginia creeper had a more star shaped leaf. Looks like a western state bush?
Sharron P
on May 03, 2012
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It DOES look like a raspberry plant! Maybe you can put some gardening gloves on and snip a bit off and put that into a canvas bag and bring it to your local garden supply store. Maybe they can help you out! IF it is a raspberry bush, ENJOY those berries!
Erin H
on May 03, 2012
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After seeing the pictures it almost looks like a very old Azalea. If your husband had any open area on his arm like a cut or even a scratch it could cause a severe allergic reaction. They are highly toxic if ingested and could have gotten into the bloodstream through a wound.
Hillary H
on May 03, 2012
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It's NOT purslane EITHER!
Marie O
on May 03, 2012
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It kinda looks like a Viburnum to me...but they bloom with big showy snowball like flowers on it. It's not Virginia creeper, because it's woody and Va. creeper is a vine. I think take it to your local extension office. Let us know what it is.
Renee B
on May 03, 2012
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http://walking.about.com/od/medfirstaid/ig/Poison-Oak-Photos/Poison-Oak-Bush.htm
Marie O
on May 03, 2012
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Could be Dogwood.
Lee W
on May 03, 2012
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It is a wood rose bush..flowers in early June
Lisa C
on May 03, 2012
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I would clip off a limb and take it to your local nursery/garden center and ask them. Stop by the dermatologist on the way home. You will get 100 guesses on here.
Glenda B
on May 03, 2012
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I think it's Velvet Bean, commonly called Cowitch, technically, Mucuna Pruriens
Rick S
on May 03, 2012
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looks like mountain mahogany. never heard of a reaction to it however!
Carrie W
on May 03, 2012
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Too hard to tell but it's not a dogwood. Can you show closer pictures. Grows like a barberry and that's has needles like a rose bush also causes a rash and scratches
Pam Y
on May 03, 2012
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Take it (wear gloves and a baggy) to your local extension office!!
Jan O
on May 03, 2012
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I have "cow itch" by my fence row and it don't look anything like that..I think it's a wood rose, can't really tell. cow itch don't have stems like that. It's kinda viny with little hairs on the stems. the best remedy is a weed that is known around here as hollow weed. gets little pods on it that explode when you touch them. cut the stem open and rub it on the itch and it clears up all but right away.
Stephany C
on May 03, 2012
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http://www.google.com/imgres?q=woods+rose&hl=en&sa=X&rlz=1C1RNPN_enUS477US477&biw=1600&bih=785&tbm=isch&prmd=imvns&tbnid=_emR6cSasRcYjM:&imgrefurl=http://www.nwplants.com/business/catalog/ros_woo.html&docid=tyn
Lisa C
on May 03, 2012
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First of all it is a woody shrub type plant...that i the first clue. So nettles and creepers and all of that get tossed out the window. I'll thinking it is a "bog birch" http://www.flickr.com/photos/carolannie/4736562829/
KMS Woodworks
on May 03, 2012
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Certainly not Virginia Creeper, I do know that.
Georgeanne I
on May 03, 2012
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Post up a pic of the rash on his arm. I'm doubting it was from this plant at all. It could be Eczema or Psoriasis.
Myra P
on May 03, 2012
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Lisa C., prove it. Give us the proper name. I'm a Master Gardener and can't find it, not that it is in my zone.
Georgeanne I
on May 03, 2012
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Wow, this is fascinating. Thank you all. To answer a few, we are in the White Mountains in northeastern Arizona. We have Virginia Creeper on our fence, so I don't think it is that. He felt it within a minute of brushing up against the plant. And it burned; no itch.
Cheryl S
on May 03, 2012
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Use Meat Tenderizer it draws the poison out let it set on it
Nancy G
on May 03, 2012
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it's Stinging Nettle it is an acid that enter the body from contact. You need to apply a base such as baking soda
Carmen S
on May 03, 2012
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Milk of magnesia will take the burn out and dry up the poison.It will feel cold when applied.Let it dry and stay on as long as possible.
Laura D
on May 03, 2012
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She lives in Arizona & its a creosote bush.
Lisa D
on May 03, 2012
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larrea_tridentata
Lisa D
on May 03, 2012
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looks like some kind of cactus.
Pam M
on May 03, 2012
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Is this the plant Garlic Mustard? Lots of it in Wisconsin. Check out downtoearthgardening.net and see if the picture matches what is posted there.
Lynn K
on May 03, 2012
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Poison ivy, poison oak,etc; this stuff Works!!! tecnu poison ivy remover. It is a detergent, not a drug. It breaks down the chemical compound which causes the nasty oil "urusihol" to lock onto your skin and not come off. Not sure what he git into but I would highly recommend going to CVS or Greens and trying it. at first it nay still itch but the key is to get the oil off your skin. this stuff does it. I sent months on steroids prescribed by Dr and couldn't get rid of it. Tecnu did the job!!! http://www.teclabsinc.com/store/poison-oak-ivy/tecnu
Michael E
on May 03, 2012
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as a master gardener, I would say take a sample of the plant to your extention office, case closed
Vicki O
on May 03, 2012
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Just a guess but looks like an old old creosote bush they get that gray woody stem when real old
Brian S
on May 03, 2012
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Looks like a creosote bush...but the closeup of the leaves are different. Very serrated and dentate and glossy. The creosote pics I've seen don't look like this.
Rhonda G
on May 03, 2012
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stinging nettles.
Paula L
on May 03, 2012
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As a m.g. also, I totally agree with Vicki O
Deborah R
on May 04, 2012
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Multi-floral rose. Your husband has to get all the thorns out before his arm will heal. My uncle almost lost an arm over this bush once. This bush was planted to help the farmers with their cattle. Go to doctor now, or as soon as possible!
Sherrie F
on May 06, 2012
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Spent some more time resarching natives in your area and the leaf definitely indicates a type of Mountain Mahogany shrub which can be toxic. Here is a good link I found for info and pictures. It's a Texas reference but the shrub grows in the west and south west: http://essmextension.tamu.edu/plants/toxics/detail.aspx?plantID=91
Linn L
on May 07, 2012
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Good job Linn L!
Georgeanne I
on May 17, 2012
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I can tell you for certain that it's not raspberry; it's not a rose--multiflora or otherwise; it's not stinging nettles; it's not Virginia Creeper; it's not creosote bush; and it's not poison oak! Check with the Forest Service or someone at the County Extension offices in your area and then you'll know for sure. I would guess it might be Mountain Mahogany but I'm not familiar enough with AZ fauna, so why second guess? Good luck.
Kathleen F
on May 24, 2012
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....and it's not purslane or azalea either!
Kathleen F
on May 24, 2012
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Leaves look similar to Nothofagus
Tan5227879
on Nov 04, 2016
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