Allergenic plants (?) question

[Ken Kinman]

Jan,
     It may have been poison ivy.  I believe it was introduced into European
gardens long ago due to certain medicinal properties (treating rheumatism?).
  It probably isn't common in Europe, but I think it does occur there.
                         ------Ken Kinman
********************************************************
>From: Jan Bosselaers <dochterland at VILLAGE.UUNET.BE>
>Reply-To: Jan Bosselaers <dochterland at VILLAGE.UUNET.BE>
>To: TAXACOM at USOBI.ORG
>Subject: Allergenic plants (?) question
>Date: Fri, 4 Aug 2000 14:52:10 +0200
>
>Dear Taxacomers,
>
>Just a quick question:
>three weeks ago, a few hours after visiting Salvador Dali's grave and
>the garden of his wife's castle in Pubol, Catalunya, I discovered an
>erythematous rash on my left hand, very similar to the poison Ivy rash I
>got after collecting spiders in the woods in Illinois: four parallel
>lines of small, red blisters. Even now, three weeks later, it has not
>healed completely. This time too, I had been collecting spiders in
>cypress trees and bushes in the neighbourhood of Pubol and in Ullastret.
>
>Does anyone have an idea what might have caused this rash? I know that
>allergenic, urushiol containing Anacardiaceae occur in Korea, China,
>Australia and Japan, but I know of none in Europe.
>Could it be something else, like hairy caterpillars? There were some
>white, cotton-like tufts in the cypress trees, they were not spider
>webs.
>Or might the grand master, as one of his many practical jokes, have
>planted some foreign allergenic plants in his garden?
>
>Regards,
>
>Jan
>-------------------------------------------------------------
>Jan Bosselaers
>"Dochterland", R. novarumlaan 2
>B-2340 Beerse, Belgium                       tel 32-14-615896
>home: dochterland at village.uunet.be      fax 32-14-610306
>work: jbossela at janbe.jnj.com
>web: http://gallery.uunet.be/Dochterland/
>"Otium sine litteris mors est et hominis vivi sepultura" Seneca
>(Spare time without reading is like being buried alive)
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