Those poisenous purple flour plants all over

fortified · Post by **fortified** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:38 pm

Running along a few trails recently, I kept spotting some plants with purple flowers. I remember reading about one that is poisonous like poison oak. But after hiking the echo trail up over to the back side, and Inspiration point, I saw so many that I figured no way would their be so many poisonous plants and not know about it.
So now I have some rashes similar to poison oak. I read up on the subject, and the pictured on google images sure looks like the same thing as I saw all over. Apparently, the plant "Poodle-dog bush" (Turricula parrya), thrives best after a fire, and the soil gets disturbed.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&gs_r ... yAHo3oHoCw

mattmaxon · Post by **mattmaxon** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 5:53 pm

yep well known to any who have had any contact with it!

I try to step on it when possible

your feet ar sometimes the 2 best trail working tools you have

Post by **Sean** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 6:08 pm

fortified wrote: ↑So now I have some rashes similar to poison oak.

Bummer. Have you had any swelling? Make sure you wash everything you sat on or rubbed against, including car seats and arm rests. That stuff is nasty.

PackerGreg · Post by **PackerGreg** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:27 pm

mattmaxon wrote: ↑your feet are sometimes the 2 best trail working tools you have

Why bend over when you can use your boots to dig with the toes, dislodge with the heels, and slough with the insteps?

fortified · Post by **fortified** » Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:41 pm

I am actually a bit surprised I was not aware of this purple flower. I go trail running 4-6 times a week. I am always aware of poison oak, and instinctly just avoid contact with growth, as I am sometimes jogging and can't focus on everything. When I went from Henninger flats through Idlehour, and inspiration point, I completely avoided poison oak close to dusk, and in shorts.
Although I always wear shorts, almost zero rash on my legs. It looks like it may of been on my ski pole, which I sometimes tuck under my arm when fiddling with iphone, or Walkman. Thus both arms on the inside are affected. I doubt poison oak. I am more allergic than anyone I know, and every occurrence has been major.
The thing is, not being aware before this, now I am thinking back on all the areas I saw this plant........I remember a whole field of them between inspiration point, and the sunset trail, on the back side. I think the Lone tree trail ......
Does anyone have a handle of how much and general locations?

phstudio · Post by **phstudio** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 2:19 am

God, I hate that stuff! Right after they reopened the the forest after the Station Fire closure, I was bushwhacking through that stuff on Gabrielino Trail just west of the Kenyon-Devore junction. I had shorts and short sleeves on. Yep, so I got it bad with one hundred percent coverage on all of my exposed skin. It lasted for just over three weeks and I was swollen as hell.

During my recovery I read a nifty little article in the Los Angeles Times about a little plant called Poodle Dog Bush. I was so mad...

I was pissed that the forest service didn't have warnings about it along the Gabrielino, because it was everywhere and the trail was non-existent in many places.

Post by **HikeUp** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:36 am

I hear it's edible

Post by **Sean** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 8:55 am

fortified wrote: ↑The thing is, not being aware before this, now I am thinking back on all the areas I saw this plant........I remember a whole field of them between inspiration point, and the sunset trail, on the back side. I think the Lone tree trail ......
Does anyone have a handle of how much and general locations?

No PD on the Lone Tree up to Panorama Pt. It starts along the One Man & Mule fire road to Inspiration Pt. Sometimes it creeps onto the edges of the road and you might brush up against it. It's also on the fire road after Inspiration Pt and the Middle Sam Merrill Trail around Sunset Pt. Other spots around there are the upper Idlehour Trail and all over San Gabriel Peak and the Bear Canyon area.

There is poison oak now creeping across the Lone Tree Trail just before the Oak Grove. You really have to be careful. I haven't had time to cut it back. So maybe you got lucky and only have poison oak.

BTW - I avoid poodle dog like the plague, but whenever I get myself into some poison oak wearing the wrong clothes, I now rub dirt on the affected areas immediately. My theory is the dirt will soak up some of the oils. It seems to work as I haven't had an outbreak the last three times.

fortified · Post by **fortified** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 1:44 pm

Is it possible to change my heading of this subject to spell flower, not flour?
I must of been hungry when I posted the subject

tracker · Post by **tracker** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 6:24 pm

There's a bunch of this stuff on the side of the road to the old Vetter Mtn. lookout. It wasn't there before the fire.

yobtaf · Post by **yobtaf** » Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:27 pm

I love the stuff, great for the eyes!

my left eye, or the one on your right almost went shut.

snizzarf · Post by **snizzarf** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:58 am

tracker - I took my dog at the time up there years ago and it was beautiful. Went back last year for the first time since the fire and the place looks terrible compared to how it was pre-fire. Poodle dog and black stumps/logs everywhere. So sad.

robnokshus · Post by **robnokshus** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 4:59 pm

Ahh, Poodle Dog. I got it really bad last year on the stretch of the Gabrielino trail from Red Box to Switzers. Hot water as hot as you can stand will help soothe the itch.

Washing all of your stuff is very important and regular old laundry detergent won't get it out of your clothes. Get yourself some Fels Naptha soap. It's hard to find nowadays (I got mine at Virgil's Hardware in Glendale). It will take the PD oils out of your clothes and off your pack, poles, boots, etc... I think I learned this from a thread on this board but the stuff really works. I had washed my shorts with regular detergent and wound up re-infecting myself. Not fun.

Otherwise I think the plant is attractive and has a nice aroma.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:15 pm

robnokshus wrote: ↑I think I learned this from a thread on this board but the stuff really works.

"but" = "so of course"

phstudio · Post by **phstudio** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 5:21 pm

robnokshus wrote: ↑ Otherwise I think the plant is attractive and has a nice aroma.

I talked to a lot thru hikers last year while doing while doing Section C of the PCT about the Poodle Dog Bush. As far as the smell, I would say it was about 50/50 on whether they liked the smell. I personally find it very pungent and don't like it at all. But then again, I might be psychologically scarred by that stupid plant. PDB was on everybody's mind as there was so much of it, even in the San Bernardino's

outwhere · Post by **outwhere** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:54 pm

phstudio wrote: ↑ I was pissed that the forest service didn't have warnings about it along the Gabrielino, because it was everywhere and the trail was non-existent in many places.

As much as an 'itch-on-the-ass' the Poodle bush seems to be, would a little warning sign be too much trouble??

Going by the response here, it seems like it caught many [experienced hikers] by surprise [spurred on by the Station Fire conditions] --- so with a pretty purple flower, you know some less experienced hikers are really gonna wanna touch...

Seriously though, are signs a reasonable, maybe not too expensive to make/place, to tip hikers off to this plant?

Or will the FS not even bother with posting signs, as some creep might grafitti it solid within one weekend

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:09 pm

I hate the smell of it. The good news is it supposedly dies off around 5 years after a fire, as the other native veg. grows back and crowds it out.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:26 pm

cougarmagic wrote: ↑I hate the smell of it. The good news is it supposedly dies off around 5 years after a fire, as the other native veg. grows back and crowds it out.

And we're coming up on 4 years this summer.

Post by **HikeUp** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:03 pm

I've never been effected by either poodle dog or poison oak/ivy...ever. I'm either immune or lucky or both, I guess. And now that I've said that...I'm never going into the mountains again!!!

phstudio · Post by **phstudio** » Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:42 pm

HikeUp wrote: ↑I've never been effected by either poodle dog or poison oak/ivy...ever. I'm either immune or lucky or both, I guess. And now that I've said that...I'm never going into the mountains again!!!

My sister claims to be immune to poison oak, but I only claim to be extremely resistant to it. So I don't think there is any correlation between the two. So if you're immune to both, then that is something to be thankful for.

palmeredhackle · Post by **palmeredhackle** » Wed Apr 17, 2013 5:32 pm

One really neat thing I learned about poodle dog bush was that a few of the local beekeepers had their hives in and around the station fire burn areas. Turns out the flowers make for delicious honey. I talked with a beekeeper at the monrovia street fair about it. She had a few different honey varieties, with one listed as some other name. Once I started talking to her I found out it was the poodle dog bush. Stuff was noticeably tastier than the other ones she had.

A couple weeks ago I redid some of my hike last year, but dropped down on valley forge trail from Mt Wilson Road down to the Gabrielino to West Fork. The poodle dog bush is nowhere near as bad as it was previously. Should be able to walk through without any issues!

BrownMtnBob · Post by **BrownMtnBob** » Thu Apr 18, 2013 6:19 pm

HikeUp wrote: ↑I've never been effected by either poodle dog or poison oak/ivy...ever. I'm either immune or lucky or both, I guess. And now that I've said that...I'm never going into the mountains again!!!

Still, be careful. I've read that very often it doesn't affect people for the first, and sometimes the first several exposures. My grandfather used to think he was immune.......then put on a show to prove it (to horrified onlookers). Result- 5 days in serious condition in the hospital.

BrownMtnBob · Post by **BrownMtnBob** » Thu Apr 18, 2013 6:22 pm

HikeUp wrote: ↑I hear it's edible

could be, but doesn't look like poodle dog from this pic.

poodle dog has very thick leaves somewhat like marijuana (it's actually related to it....and Hops). It will smell a little like pot or hops too. Usually gives off a very pungent odor, and the leaves look like dreadlocks. Could be....but doesn't look like it to me from that pic.

Post by **HikeUp** » Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:29 pm

Hmmm...perhaps it isn't poodle dog, but whatever it is, it was all over the friggin place on San Gabriel Peak and the trail from Mt. Lowe Fire Road down to Tom Sloan Saddle. In both cases I was wearing shorts and I tried to avoid it like the plague - no symptoms afterwards. So either I was lucky (most likely), I am immune (for now at least), or it isn't poodle dog.

But I must say that I know I am either lucky or immune from poison oak - I know for sure what that looks like.

VermillionPearlGirl · Post by **VermillionPearlGirl** » Thu May 02, 2013 1:58 pm

I'm going to agree with both posts. That picture doesn't look like poodle dog, but poodle dog is all over the place on San Gabriel Peak for sure. I've also gotten stung going to Mount Lowe. Devil's Peak is a nightmare. And from Switzer to Red Box is pretty evil.

In the past 3 or so years I've gotten it like maybe 6 times (yeah, I know what it looks like, but I'll get caught off trail somewhere or once on San Gabriel peak I put my arms up to stretch and it was above me and I'm just super susceptible). It lasts weeks, sometimes doesn't show up for days and days so you think you're safe but you're not, and is just so so terrible... I'm itchy just thinking about it...

Post by **HikeUp** » Thu May 02, 2013 2:36 pm

The stuff in my pic looks like the stuff in this pic...
http://www.photographyontherun.com/Afte ... gBush.aspx

At least to my eyes.

Post by **Hikin_Jim** » Thu May 02, 2013 6:06 pm

HikeUp wrote: ↑The stuff in my pic looks like the stuff in this pic...
http://www.photographyontherun.com/Afte ... gBush.aspx

At least to my eyes.

Ohmigosh! The PD bush has affected your eyes! You're doomed.

HJ

Post by **HikeUp** » Thu May 02, 2013 10:26 pm

Crap. I knew it. Sigh.

Teejate · Post by **Teejate** » Thu May 23, 2013 10:51 pm

I had no idea what it was until I caught what I thought was poison oak a couple of years ago. But since I wasn't below 5,000 feet, and hadn't seen any poison oak, I started researching. Blew my mind when I learned about it. A really amazing plant with a very small range.

The fact that it only grows in burn areas with the sole purpose of protecting saplings, and then goes dormant after about 10 years only to come back after the next fire, amazes me.

But man...you don't want to catch it. Thankfully, I only had it on one arm and a bit on my leg. Lasted longer than poison oak and is pretty nasty looking.

The sweet name and pretty flowers belies its aggressive nature.

Don't F with the Poodle Dog Bush.