Ran into a plant...

[+stepshep]

As I was looking for Swinging Bridge, my dad and I both walked into some leaves. They were sharp and after about 10 seconds they started to itch and burn. 10 minutes later we were at the car and rubbed on some anti-itch, anti-sting pads. The sensation lasted total for about a half hour. I had about 6 small bumps on my legs, along with patches of redness, my dad just had the red patches. Can you tell me what plant it was?

 

The images are large so I'll put a link to them.

 

Regular: http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/5871/1001710td1.jpg

 

Close up: http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/33/1001711nz5.jpg

 

Thanks!

[+Moore9KSUcats]

First impression makes me think it is stinging nettles. Here is a Wikipedia link... does it look familiar?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle

[JohnX]

They look like nettles to me. As kids, we used to call them "Seven Minute Itch". Apparently, in the spring, you can cook them as greens.

 

A wikipedia search might be in order.

[+Miragee]

Yup . . . stinging nettle . . . but when I got into some last year . . . never even saw the plant . . . the pain lasted a lot longer than seven minutes . . .

Edited June 18, 2007 by Miragee

[+stepshep]

That looks like it. Thanks for all the help!

[+briansnat]

Stinging nettle. Nasty stuff. I learned to not wear shorts when hiking in some areas.

 

The good thing is that it usually grows near jewel weed, or broadleaf plantain and the juice of both can stop the burning and itching.

[+Lydford Locators]

We can certainly tell that you are not over here in the UK!

 

Nettles are probably the worse part of caching this side of the pond - for more than half the year they take over almost every hedgerow and large expanses of field edges. Most cachers we know wear long trousers and sleeves even in the hottest weather, and carry sting spray at the top of their caching bag because it's almost impossible to reach the majority of caches without the liklihood of getting stung by the little devils.

[+flask]

nettles... nutritious and tasty. good source of vitamin c.

 

you'll want to cook it first.

[+edscott]

Stinging nettle. Nasty stuff. I learned to not wear shorts when hiking in some areas.

 

The good thing is that it usually grows near jewel weed, or broadleaf plantain and the juice of both can stop the burning and itching.

 

Also urinating of the affected area will help. Suggest you step back from the plant a couple feet before trying this.

[+LaTuFu]

Yep. Nettles. And Yep, dang tasty in early spring if you cook 'em like spinach, turnip, mustard, collard greens.

 

I haven't tried the urination remedy, but all the others ones will definitely work.

[k_statealan]

I was in the middle of a patch of those before I realized it last summer while wearing shorts. My legs burned from ankle to mid thigh all the way around for what seemed like an eternity. I've also heard of it called fireweed.

[MN-Paradox]

Neener! and I walked through a nice thick patch of this crap today looking for a cache. Got back to her place, turned on the garden hose, rinsed our legs off thouroughly, applied calamine lotion as needed. About an hour later, no more itching.

 

-G

[+3 Hawks]

Brings back fond memories of my youth. Why does a wayward baseball always come to rest in the middle of a patch of stinging nettles?

 

I ran into some poison ivy on Friday. I always wear long "trousers" and long sleeves while in the woods and I usually wear gloves. I'd never had a reaction to poison ivy before, but my index finger brushed up against one leaf of it and I had a blister by the morning.

 

We also have wild parsnip that is real nasty. It is about 5 times worse than nettles.

[+kg6dfh]

We use to cover the area that got "stung" with mud, and continue on.

[+TrailGators]

A few years ago my youngest son got nettles on his hinder while doing his duty under a tree that had nettles all around it. Poor guy. I guess it could have been worse and been Poison Oak under that tree...

[+Searching_ut]

Good old stinging nettle. As previously mentioned, I always just washed the affected area with water then smeared a little mud to sooth. Works great.

 

As for those who mentioned eating the stuff, many years ago during my summer vacations from Jr and Sr high school, we'd go backpacking in the Idaho and Wyoming wilderness areas for anywhere from a couple weeks to as much as a month. It's not practical to carry anywhere near enough food to last that long, so stinging nettle and fish from the streams where the nettle was found made up a lot of the campfire dinners I ate back in those good old days. It's very abundant, and not bad at all to eat once you learn how to cook it.

[+Kryten]

The traditional UK cure for nettle stings is the dock leaf which is picked, crushed and the sap rubbed over the affected area. These leaves like the same soil conditions as nettles and can be found growing in most of the northern hemisphere.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex

[+ncfinn]

I'll take Stinging Nettle over Poison Ivy any day. With S.N. you notice immediately that you are in it and can get yourself out. First reaction to P.I. takes me 24-48 hours. Nettle sting lasts only about ten minutes and the rash less than 24 hours, P.I. blisters itch for three weeks and leave scars.

[+CYBret]

Can someone post a picture of the plant that's supposed to take the sting out? I've always heard about it but never have been able to identify it.

 

Stinging nettle...yep...pretty nasty, but short-lived. I'm surprised to hear people feel the sting for as long ast they do, it always lasts about 30 seconds to a minute for me.

 

Bret

[+The Herd]

Sure thing Bret!

 

This is a pretty good site to check out some pictures!

 

Jewel Weed Images

 

For those that don't wanna click:

 

One thing to remember, if in doubt, put a little water, or spit, on the leaf of the plant. When you do this to jewel weed, the liquid will ball up, to look like little "jewels."

 

 

See, Brad...I DID learn something!!!!!!!

[+briansnat]

Stinging nettle...yep...pretty nasty, but short-lived. I'm surprised to hear people feel the sting for as long ast they do, it always lasts about 30 seconds to a minute for me.

 

Lasts about an hour or two for me. Feels like someone is sticking pins in my legs for those two hours, then it itches for a few hours after that.

[+d-town cachers]

also, those little orange flowers on the jewel weed "explode" when you touch them, and send a few seeds flying thru the air. neat little fact about that plant. as such, they are also known as "touch-me-not". it's a surprising reaction, as you can actually hear it if the flower is good and ripe!

[+outdoorsaddix]

yea those are nettles if i ever saw them, wear thick jeans next time

[+flask]

jewel weed can be kept in your freezer for later use, too.

[+TrailGators]

Stinging nettle...yep...pretty nasty, but short-lived. I'm surprised to hear people feel the sting for as long ast they do, it always lasts about 30 seconds to a minute for me.

 

Lasts about an hour or two for me. Feels like someone is sticking pins in my legs for those two hours, then it itches for a few hours after that.

It does. I always compared the feeling to getting fiberglass on a sunburn. I know where to look for the stuff now so I'm much better at avoiding it. It loves the shade just like Poison Oak.

[+Rainbow's Connections]

You mean there are actually caches that are NOT surrounded with the @#! things?

 

You learn something new everyday!!!

 

 

Elf

[+simpjkee]

it's not a cactus. thats about as much insight as i can add.

[riverrat1172]

never gotten into either i just wear pants no matter how hot it is

[riverrat1172]

lol, evidently

[+Cornerstone4]

I'm not sure if this video link will work, but I saw this clip today.

 

Stinging Nettles Eating Champ

 

This guy ate 50 something feet of the vine to win the contest...and he had to eat it uncooked!

 

You chaps on that side of the pond are really something!

 

(Edited to add that the link works, but you have to wait for the ad to play first.)

Edited June 19, 2007 by Cornerstone4

[+Thrak]

I'm glad we don't have it here. However, we have LOTS and LOTS of Poison Oak.

[+trailsailor]

Stinging nettles, my arch nemesis, gawd how I hate them. The pain lasts for over 12 hours for me, sounds like I might be hyper sensitive to the stuff after reading earlier posts. BUT, I don't react to PO so there is a little yin and yang for you. I'm often found in the dumbest places wearing shorts but at least these devils are easily whacked with the trekking pole. Eat em?, not in this lifetime!

[GPS-Hermit]

I wrecked my bike into a stinking nettle area and used Gatoraid to wash off my legs and that helped alot but not completely. So the stuff can be washed off with anything you have and it will help more than 50%. - if you have a near by creek jump in and wash it off. I can't speak for Jewel weed but you got to Know what it looks like. Jewel Weed, PI, and Stinging Nettle are the ones to learn before all others. It is all out there and you will not have to look for it - it will find you.

[CoyoteRed]

The traditional UK cure for nettle stings is the dock leaf which is picked, crushed and the sap rubbed over the affected area. These leaves like the same soil conditions as nettles and can be found growing in most of the northern hemisphere.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumex

When I was a kid my dad was stationed in Scotland for a couple of years. This cure was shown to me, but I thought it was "duck leaf." Maybe it was the accent.