Devil's Club

Fieldwork in Southeastern Alaska, 1979
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Our heavy clothing also helped protect us from this vicious plant: devil's club, Oplopanax horridum. Not only are its barbs poisonous and very painful, but the head-high plants swing on limber trunks, right in your face. The spines break off in the skin and often become infected. It is also known as a powerful traditional medicine throughout its range, from northern California to Alaska. I didn't get stung, but I was more afraid of it than any other hazardous plant I've ever encountered.

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