Guess Where? Guess What?

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

On a recent trip to __________________

 

I stopped for a bit and saw a tree I have heard about but had not actually seen.

 

 

Pretty green leaves!  "Hmmmm," I says to meself.  "Maybe I better not touch it."

 

 

"Better be careful!"

 

[Silas_Sancona]

9 minutes ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

On a recent trip to __________________

 

I stopped for a bit and saw a tree I have heard about but had not actually seen.

 

 

Pretty green leaves!  "Hmmmm," I says to meself.  "Maybe I better not touch it."

 

 

"Better be careful!"

 

Will let others guess, but know exactly what you saw.. Neat. Was tempted to pick one up, just for the novelty.

[amh]

Somewhere in America's wang and possibly Hippomane mancinella.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Never heard of it described as America's wang.  But not Manchineel.

[Silas_Sancona]

20 minutes ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

Never heard of it described as America's wang.  But not  Manchineel.

Aah! lol..   You got me on that one Jerry..  Almost forgot about it.   Thinking it might be the ~ other ~  native tree you'd want to avoid?..

 

[amh]

Metopium toxiferum? They look similar to us with untrained eyes.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

The compound leaf is the give-away.

[Palmarum]

On 12/10/2021 at 7:17 PM, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

On a recent trip to __________________ ...

... to somewhere in the Florida Keys?

I had not heard of the plant before, but sounds interesting. A nice surprise plant for an auction...

Ryan

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, Palmarum said:

... to somewhere in the Florida Keys?

I had not heard of the plant before, but sounds interesting. A nice surprise plant for an auction...

Ryan

uhh, lol.. Would be quite the surprise alright ..Sap / oils produce the same effects ( maybe worse?? ) than Poison Oak / Ivy / Sumac ( good 'ol Urushiol ) when handled..  You'd likely ( ..and promptly ) receive " feedback " from whomever won it, haha..

Bark is quite attractive though, < Shrugs > Reminds me of Gumbo Limbo / other Bursera sp..

[Palmarum]

3 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

... than Poison Oak / Ivy / Sumac ( good 'ol Urushiol ) when handled..  ....

I once brought a small Poison Oak to school, as part of a presentation on 'Plants that Fight Back'. The presentation was in Speech class and was near the end of the day. I couldn't carry the plants around with me, the classroom was packed, nor could I just leave them somewhere unattended, so I made a wood/plexiglass sealed box for the fancier containerized ones. I covered them with realistic warning labels, danger, biologically toxic, you name it. (I could copy anything) and left them near the teacher's lounge/reception area. Kinda an outdoor, smoking area where students feared to tread...

I came back for them at the end of the day for my presentation to find a mob of people around them. They were wondering how plants could be so scary. I carefully moved them to a media cart as fast as possible and took them to class...

I think I got a B- for that presentation.

Ryan

[Silas_Sancona]

40 minutes ago, Palmarum said:

I once brought a small Poison Oak to school, as part of a presentation on 'Plants that Fight Back'. The presentation was in Speech class and was near the end of the day. I couldn't carry the plants around with me, the classroom was packed, nor could I just leave them somewhere unattended, so I made a wood/plexiglass sealed box for the fancier containerized ones. I covered them with realistic warning labels, danger, biologically toxic, you name it. (I could copy anything) and left them near the teacher's lounge/reception area. Kinda an outdoor, smoking area where students feared to tread...

I came back for them at the end of the day for my presentation to find a mob of people around them. They were wondering how plants could be so scary. I carefully moved them to a media cart as fast as possible and took them to class...

I think I got a B- for that presentation.

Ryan

LOL.. I can't even count how many times Poison Oak and i have had close encounters through the years before i left California.. Learned quickly that if my hands / clothes had a distinct smell after roaming through the woods, expect to itch within a couple hours. 

While some say it doesn't work, would collect fresh Western / California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana  from a creek i lived across the street from and apply to effected areas. for me at least, it worked to shorten the duration of the rash. Nice, but rather " average " looking plant in a landscape too ( the Mugwort )

Both Poison Oak and Ivy supposedly occur here in AZ. Have yet to encounter either... yet, haha..

Edited December 12, 2021 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[Silas_Sancona]

9 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

LOL.. I can't even count how many times Poison Oak and i have had close encounters through the years before i left California.. Learned quickly that if my hands / clothes had a distinct smell after roaming through the woods, expect to itch within a couple hours. 

While some say it doesn't work, would collect fresh Western / California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana  from a creek i lived across the street from and apply to effected areas. for me at least, it worked to shorten the duration of the rash. Nice, but rather " average " looking plant in a landscape too ( the Mugwort )

Both Poison Oak and Ivy supposedly occur here in AZ. Have yet to encounter either... yet, haha..

..I'll add:  Think Poison Oak / Ivy is bad?  slipping off a wet rockface while out hiking / looking at hard to reach plants,  into an area where the Stinging Nettle growing in the moist spot below is chest high ..is a fun adventure, lol

[amh]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

uhh, lol.. Would be quite the surprise alright ..Sap / oils produce the same effects ( maybe worse?? ) than Poison Oak / Ivy / Sumac ( good 'ol Urushiol ) when handled..  You'd likely ( ..and promptly ) receive " feedback " from whomever won it, haha..

Bark is quite attractive though, < Shrugs > Reminds me of Gumbo Limbo / other Bursera sp..

Not everyone is affected by urushiol:, a lucky group to be in.

58 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

..I'll add:  Think Poison Oak / Ivy is bad?  slipping off a wet rockface while out hiking / looking at hard to reach plants,  into an area where the Stinging Nettle growing in the moist spot below is chest high ..is a fun adventure, lol

There are a lot of stinging nettles in my yard and at least once a day, each ankle will find them.

[Silas_Sancona]

35 minutes ago, amh said:

Not everyone is affected by urushiol:, a lucky group to be in.

 

I noticed i wasn't quite as sensitive to the stuff after i'd first left California, then returned and brushed up against more of it while visiting a familiar spot.. Still, lol ..not taking any chances. There's a couple native annuals here that can give me a similar, but far less intense, or long lasting rash when i handle them.

 In my old neighborhood back in San Jose, there's a hillside in a local park where nothing but Poison Oak covers an extensive enough area that it is visible from the opposite side of the Valley in the fall when the leaves change colors.

[amh]

6 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

I noticed i wasn't quite as sensitive to the stuff after i'd first left California, then returned and brushed up against more of it while visiting a familiar spot.. Still, lol ..not taking any chances. There's a couple native annuals here that can give me a similar, but far less intense, or long lasting rash when i handle them.

 In my old neighborhood back in San Jose, there's a hillside in a local park where nothing but Poison Oak covers an extensive enough area that it is visible from the opposite side of the Valley in the fall when the leaves change colors.

Unfortunately, I am sensitive to urushiol, but Some people are much worse.  The worst thing is when you inadvertently get the oil on couches,sheets, towels, etc.  

Texas bull nettle (Cnidoscolus texanus) is common here, thankfully I haven't had contact.

[Silas_Sancona]

9 minutes ago, amh said:

Unfortunately, I am sensitive to urushiol, but Some people are much worse.  The worst thing is when you inadvertently get the oil on couches,sheets, towels, etc.  

Texas bull nettle (Cnidoscolus texanus) is common here, thankfully I haven't had contact.

We've got at least 2? species in the same Genus here.. Have seen them for sale a few times.

Ahh yes, lol.. When you don't realize you've got the oil all over your clothes,  ..and proceed to spread it onto -everything- you sit on, or touch, ..while trying to change / take a shower..  Torture!

[amh]

1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

We've got at least 2? species in the same Genus here.. Have seen them for sale a few times.

Ahh yes, lol.. When you don't realize you've got the oil all over your clothes,  ..and proceed to spread it onto -everything- you sit on, or touch, ..while trying to change / take a shower..  Torture!

The seeds look like caster beans, same family, but I'm not sure how closely they are related.

People grow them for xeriscape gardens, not my cup of tea.

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, amh said:

The seeds look like caster beans, same family, but I'm not sure how closely they are related.

People grow them for xeriscape gardens, not my cup of tea.

They're interesting, but not something i'd grow either, unless i had a big enough space where i could showcase it with other weird and toxic plants in an obscure corner of my property.

Tree Spinach / Chaya,  is in the same Genus,  and is edible,  if cooked to render the toxic chemicals in it ineffective (  after boiling for longer than 20 minutes )..  Just don't cook in Aluminum cookware.. Apparently reacts w/ the toxic compounds in the leaves to create a toxic broth that will make you regret consuming it.

[mnorell]

Poisonwood is all over Big Pine Key, we have one of two trees that still survive on our property from the time we bought our house there over a decade ago...one was thrown over by Irma, the other cut in half by physical damage in that storm but has regained its original height, more or less. I have to say that their bark (no pun intended) is worse than their bite if you use common sense around them. Everyone is aware of them, of course, but some landscape crews (such as our arborist's) have individuals who are proudly and effectively not reactive to it. On the other hand, one in our arborist's group got hit with it on another property and was in the hospital for days...so it is a matter of degree and a matter of immune-system tolerance, just as with the other urushiol-laden members of the family. And speaking of bark, the old folk remedy is to take a piece of Gumbo Limbo bark and apply it to the point of poisonwood contact, they are purported to be a natural treatment, and in fact, one usually sees a poisonwood growing next to (or very near to) a Gumbo Limbo.

In reality, it is the Brazilian Pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius, aka "Florida Holly" or "Pepperwood," a major invasive (to my mind, the only true invasive in the Keys)...and the sap of it, encountered in "spray form" of course when one takes a chainsaw to them (as all of us are encouraged to do by the County), is something to be reckoned with. I am very careful around it. I have had small outbreaks from it, and I also get small outbreaks from poisonwood, typically when I'm digging through soil with my bare hands...a clue that the urushiol stays active on fallen leaves for some time. But Poisonwood is at least a beautiful tree.  Those pretty glossy leaflets are really a dead ringer for the leaves of one of our native Ficus: Ficus citrifolia, the Barbados Fig, or Bearded Fig. As noted by others earlier in this thread, the difference to notice is that the Poisonwood is a compound leaf (F. citrifolia has a simple leaf).

[Silas_Sancona]

18 minutes ago, mnorell said:

Poisonwood is all over Big Pine Key, we have one of two trees that still survive on our property from the time we bought our house there over a decade ago...one was thrown over by Irma, the other cut in half by physical damage in that storm but has regained its original height, more or less. I have to say that their bark (no pun intended) is worse than their bite if you use common sense around them. Everyone is aware of them, of course, but some landscape crews (such as our arborist's) have individuals who are proudly and effectively not reactive to it. On the other hand, one in our arborist's group got hit with it on another property and was in the hospital for days...so it is a matter of degree and a matter of immune-system tolerance, just as with the other urushiol-laden members of the family. And speaking of bark, the old folk remedy is to take a piece of Gumbo Limbo bark and apply it to the point of poisonwood contact, they are purported to be a natural treatment, and in fact, one usually sees a poisonwood growing next to (or very near to) a Gumbo Limbo.

In reality, it is the Brazilian Pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius, aka "Florida Holly" or "Pepperwood," a major invasive (to my mind, the only true invasive in the Keys)...and the sap of it, encountered in "spray form" of course when one takes a chainsaw to them (as all of us are encouraged to do by the County), is something to be reckoned with. I am very careful around it. I have had small outbreaks from it, and I also get small outbreaks from poisonwood, typically when I'm digging through soil with my bare hands...a clue that the urushiol stays active on fallen leaves for some time. But Poisonwood is at least a beautiful tree.  Those pretty glossy leaflets are really a dead ringer for the leaves of one of our native Ficus: Ficus citrifolia, the Barbados Fig, or Bearded Fig. As noted by others earlier in this thread, the difference to notice is that the Poisonwood is a compound leaf (F. citrifolia has a simple leaf).

Interesting note about Poisonwood and Gumbo Limbo growing in close proximity to one another.. CA. Mugwort will often be found close to Poison Oak in many places where both occur. Would be interesting to see if similar associations occur w/ other toxic plants around the world ..if that hasn't been subject to detailed study already..

Agree about  -bleepin'-  Brazilian Pepper,  though i never noted any reactions to it when i went on the scorched earth eradication mission in the green space area behind the house i lived in  in Bradenton. That said, a neighbor decided to burn wood from another patch of the stuff they'd cut down once.. Ended up w/ a mild sore throat for a day or two, even though the smoke never drifted toward the house.

Not sure how true it is, but had heard a few times that the volatile compound(s) from Manchineel can also sit on the soil after being shed from the tree for some length of time..

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Yes, Big Pine is where I stopped for a relief break from the long drive south.  I was going to a landscape inspection on Stock Island.

 

I was surprised how thick the Poisonwood was where I stopped.  Almost impenetrably thick, you could not see any path of entry whatsoever without getting a faceful of poisonwood.  Come to think of it, there was gumbo there as well.

[mnorell]

7 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Interesting note about Poisonwood and Gumbo Limbo growing in close proximity to one another.. CA. Mugwort will often be found close to Poison Oak in many places where both occur. Would be interesting to see if similar associations occur w/ other toxic plants around the world ..if that hasn't been subject to detailed study already..

Agree about  -bleepin'-  Brazilian Pepper,  though i never noted any reactions to it when i went on the scorched earth eradication mission in the green space area behind the house i lived in  in Bradenton. That said, a neighbor decided to burn wood from another patch of the stuff they'd cut down once.. Ended up w/ a mild sore throat for a day or two, even though the smoke never drifted toward the house.

Not sure how true it is, but had heard a few times that the volatile compound(s) from Manchineel can also sit on the soil after being shed from the tree for some length of time..

That's interesting that the same kind of proximal co-existence occurs. I've never tried either antidote but I somehow have been lucky having spent most of my life in California never to get a case of poison oak (that I remember). But I feel that poison oak and (in the East) poison ivy are much more of an insidious danger than poisonwood since they exist at ankle-level and are very easy to brush up against while walking. A few years ago while visiting Point Lobos I was suddenly aware that there was poison oak everywhere along the sides of the rather narrow walking trails. Once I noticed the leaves I was very careful to keep my place on those trails! Next time I find myself in such a situation I think I will keep my eyes peeled for some mugwort...

And re: Brazilian Pepper's urushiol, it is indeed quite strong. Our neighbor on Big Pine really got quite a rash chain-sawing some, and I got a spotty reaction just doing some relatively minor cutting. The business about ignorant burning is one of my pet peeves. Some people who had a rural upbringing come down to the Keys and automatically start (illegally) building bonfires to dispose of tree debris. They don't realize they may be burning poisonwood, Brazilian Pepper and Oleander...and the very real dangers they are releasing not only on themselves but anyone breathing the air nearby.

And for manchineel...I've never seen one though I understand there are some hidden away in some hammock areas of Big Pine, and also on some outer islands...but most have been extirpated for obvious reasons over the last hundred or more years. Not very many people understand about the terrific dangers of that tree so perhaps it is for the better that it is limited to those far-flung and inaccessible spots.

[Palmarum]

12 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

LOL.. I can't even count how many times Poison Oak and i have had close encounters through the years before i left California.. Learned quickly that if my hands / clothes had a distinct smell after roaming through the woods, expect to itch within a couple hours. ...

Exploring forests and undeveloped land was a right of passage for 'us kids' in and around S. Florida. Friends and I learned when young, the best thing to do after exposure to Poison Oak was to NOT scratch it. Scratching it made it so much worse. We would restrain those affected to keep them from scratching (yes, it was funny at times). We would put anything we could find on it to stop the itching until we get lotions, rubbing alcohol, etc.

I agree how different people have different reactions. Those in the squad who were less affected by contact were often chosen to go first into the brush as 'tanks' to take the brunt of any attack before we spotted the plant. Not always by choice, but a trade of, or promise of food usually sealed the deal.

---

All the talk about these native Keys plants' would make me want to look for them now. Weirder the better. To date, the worst reaction I've seen to a tree oil still belongs to Black Sapote, Diospyros nigra. It was caused by chainsawing material, the saw dust. Horrible in person, in photos, in stories, etc. At least the tree is rather rare. I don't know if it's urushiol or something like it, but the reactions have been very bad, with one such incident supposedly fatal.

Ryan

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Ryan,

 

Interesting.  I never heard of problems with Black Sapote.  But you don't see a lot of that species.

[Silas_Sancona]

10 minutes ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

Ryan,

 

Interesting.  I never heard of problems with Black Sapote.  But you don't see a lot of that species.

That's the first i've heard about such an issue w/ these as well..  See the tree itself offered for sale every so often.

Ryan,  @Palmarum,  Any documented sources to research?

[Palmarum]

 

2 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

That's the first i've heard about such an issue w/ these as well..  See the tree itself offered for sale every so often.

Ryan,  @Palmarum,  Any documented sources to research?

Not any that I could find, just the reactions from those affected by it. The one that I saw was the worse blistering you could imagine. I should have photographed it, but I just could not. In that case it was the reaction of the sawdust with sweat, a tree being trimmed on a very hot day. The tree was quite substantial in size by the description. The subject spent the morning cutting, no issues, but continued in the afternoon and the blisters and intense burning occurred. No other trees or plants were cut. That was the reaction I saw. I heard of similar others at meetings, plant sales, etc. when trading stories of plant-related injuries. I was once shown a scar on a forearm supposedly caused by it. She was a volunteer at a botanical garden, but mentioned 'cutting a lot of different trees that day' including the Black Sapote. She only thought of the tree after I mentioned the first incident above. Not sure what the exact substance is or of what causes the reaction.

I rarely encounter the tree in collections, fruit or otherwise. If someone has room for a fruit tree they rather grow fruit they are going to eat. The species shows up at fruit tree sales, mostly as a novelty as few actually eat it, they just like the way the fruit resembles chocolate pudding. I have done the practical joke myself to people, putting the fruit in a dish and letting people try it, thinking it was a sweet dessert, just to get a 'bleh' reaction.

Not enough situations that have happened to have it be documented perhaps? If it was a common landscape tree or other ornamental there might be a warning about it by now. Seems to require a specific series of events to line up to cause problems: have the tree in the first place, large enough to need a trim, produce enough sawdust, get covered in dust while sweaty or wet, (boom). The first subject was trimming the tree shirtless, which I would not recommend with any type of trimming or of any species. With all the exotics out there, who knows what other reactions are waiting. I will never forget the look of those blisters... I use the memory to remind everyone to use caution while trimming and pruning.

Ryan

 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, Palmarum said:

 

Not any that I could find, just the reactions from those affected by it. The one that I saw was the worse blistering you could imagine. I should have photographed it, but I just could not. In that case it was the reaction of the sawdust with sweat, a tree being trimmed on a very hot day. The tree was quite substantial in size by the description. The subject spent the morning cutting, no issues, but continued in the afternoon and the blisters and intense burning occurred. No other trees or plants were cut. That was the reaction I saw. I heard of similar others at meetings, plant sales, etc. when trading stories of plant-related injuries. I was once shown a scar on a forearm supposedly caused by it. She was a volunteer at a botanical garden, but mentioned 'cutting a lot of different trees that day' including the Black Sapote. She only thought of the tree after I mentioned the first incident above. Not sure what the exact substance is or of what causes the reaction.

I rarely encounter the tree in collections, fruit or otherwise. If someone has room for a fruit tree they rather grow fruit they are going to eat. The species shows up at fruit tree sales, mostly as a novelty as few actually eat it, they just like the way the fruit resembles chocolate pudding. I have done the practical joke myself to people, putting the fruit in a dish and letting people try it, thinking it was a sweet dessert, just to get a 'bleh' reaction.

Not enough situations that have happened to have it be documented perhaps? If it was a common landscape tree or other ornamental there might be a warning about it by now. Seems to require a specific series of events to line up to cause problems: have the tree in the first place, large enough to need a trim, produce enough sawdust, get covered in dust while sweaty or wet, (boom). The first subject was trimming the tree shirtless, which I would not recommend with any type of trimming or of any species. With all the exotics out there, who knows what other reactions are waiting. I will never forget the look of those blisters... I use the memory to remind everyone to use caution while trimming and pruning.

Ryan

 

 

Interesting for sure    ..and something i'll have to keep in mind when talking w/ people about these trees.. Know they're apparently planted widely in Cen. / Southern Mexico. Was never impressed w/ the fruit either when i've tried it.  I know your typical Persimmon ..same family as Black Sapote ( Not in the Sapote fam.,  despite the name )  can produce a milky sap when cut.. ( Many plants in the Sapote family can as well ) Wonder if it could cause similar issues..

Agree, the rarer a tree ( ..or any other plant ) might be in cultivation, it is tough to gauge any potential adverse effects from whatever reactionary compound might be present in it's sap..

And yes, lol.. never prune anything w/ out a shirt.. Isn't that like Landscaper/ Arborist' rule #1?,  Not something i'd want to see when the landscape mow n' blow crew is working across the street, ..or among co-workers in the past ...haha..    Bad enough i took down a 30ft Plume tree ...in sandles ( ..while using a chain saw ) once.

 

[amh]

1 hour ago, Palmarum said:

 

Not any that I could find, just the reactions from those affected by it. The one that I saw was the worse blistering you could imagine. I should have photographed it, but I just could not. In that case it was the reaction of the sawdust with sweat, a tree being trimmed on a very hot day. The tree was quite substantial in size by the description. The subject spent the morning cutting, no issues, but continued in the afternoon and the blisters and intense burning occurred. No other trees or plants were cut. That was the reaction I saw. I heard of similar others at meetings, plant sales, etc. when trading stories of plant-related injuries. I was once shown a scar on a forearm supposedly caused by it. She was a volunteer at a botanical garden, but mentioned 'cutting a lot of different trees that day' including the Black Sapote. She only thought of the tree after I mentioned the first incident above. Not sure what the exact substance is or of what causes the reaction.

I rarely encounter the tree in collections, fruit or otherwise. If someone has room for a fruit tree they rather grow fruit they are going to eat. The species shows up at fruit tree sales, mostly as a novelty as few actually eat it, they just like the way the fruit resembles chocolate pudding. I have done the practical joke myself to people, putting the fruit in a dish and letting people try it, thinking it was a sweet dessert, just to get a 'bleh' reaction.

Not enough situations that have happened to have it be documented perhaps? If it was a common landscape tree or other ornamental there might be a warning about it by now. Seems to require a specific series of events to line up to cause problems: have the tree in the first place, large enough to need a trim, produce enough sawdust, get covered in dust while sweaty or wet, (boom). The first subject was trimming the tree shirtless, which I would not recommend with any type of trimming or of any species. With all the exotics out there, who knows what other reactions are waiting. I will never forget the look of those blisters... I use the memory to remind everyone to use caution while trimming and pruning.

Ryan

 

 

Very strange and deserving of research, I've never heard of this phenomenon in the diospyros genus. I imagine Diospyros nigra wood would be frequently used in its native territory. Do you know any woodworkers?

[Palmarum]

2 hours ago, amh said:

Very strange and deserving of research, I've never heard of this phenomenon in the diospyros genus. I imagine Diospyros nigra wood would be frequently used in its native territory. Do you know any woodworkers?

It would be interesting to try and figure it out. Grow a grove of specimen trees and sample each one in order, with different testing parameters on the wood during a hot S. Florida summer. Find a lab to check the chemical compounds, fill out the edges of the puzzle...

I work with wood now and then (working on a bookshelf) but I think you are referring to the large scale wood turners, carvers, bowl makers and so forth. I don't know any personally. I used to talk with the ones I would see at plant sales and events, asking them questions, photographing them, etc. If I run into any in the future, I will ask them if they work with or had worked with Black Sapote wood.

In the end it could have been a 'perfect storm' of an allergic reaction that may not happen again, even without regular safety precautions. I have been on the lookout since the incident for anyone that had a specimen tree being trimmed, but nothing yet. I might have 'depleted the field' a bit. Among discussions here, there and everywhere, I have warned those who owned trees about the incident ... so they might have disposed of the plants. As always, I am constantly looking for more info and will relay it here if I find anything...

Until then... beware of the saw dust or experiment freely... take photos.

Ryan

 

P.S. - Those Poison Oak plants I brought to high school for the presentation, I remember planting them at school somewhere. I think it was in protest because my high school had dropped the horticulture program prior to my freshman year and had no plans of bringing it back.

[amh]

1 hour ago, Palmarum said:

It would be interesting to try and figure it out. Grow a grove of specimen trees and sample each one in order, with different testing parameters on the wood during a hot S. Florida summer. Find a lab to check the chemical compounds, fill out the edges of the puzzle...

I work with wood now and then (working on a bookshelf) but I think you are referring to the large scale wood turners, carvers, bowl makers and so forth. I don't know any personally. I used to talk with the ones I would see at plant sales and events, asking them questions, photographing them, etc. If I run into any in the future, I will ask them if they work with or had worked with Black Sapote wood.

In the end it could have been a 'perfect storm' of an allergic reaction that may not happen again, even without regular safety precautions. I have been on the lookout since the incident for anyone that had a specimen tree being trimmed, but nothing yet. I might have 'depleted the field' a bit. Among discussions here, there and everywhere, I have warned those who owned trees about the incident ... so they might have disposed of the plants. As always, I am constantly looking for more info and will relay it here if I find anything...

Until then... beware of the saw dust or experiment freely... take photos.

Ryan

 

P.S. - Those Poison Oak plants I brought to high school for the presentation, I remember planting them at school somewhere. I think it was in protest because my high school had dropped the horticulture program prior to my freshman year and had no plans of bringing it back.

I'm too cold to grow them at my location, but I have frequent contact with Diospyros texana and have had no problems. I would think that black sapote would have attractive and useful wood.