Echiopanax horridus, Devil's Club. Close-up of the stickery "club" end of the branch after the leaves have gone in the autumn. Seward, Alaska - Late October 2002
What a wonderful set of photos you've taken of this plant!
It sounds like a true thug though, however attractive.
Yes, a terrible thud, but one that merits some admiration. An stand of old-growth Devil's Club is quite impressive in a woodland opening. Like the lowly slug, this plant is unvanquishable! If you cut it back, several new runners take each stems place! No matter how far you pull up the root, there is yet more!
If you grab the stem or are slapped by the leave as you go through the woods, small black spines are embedded into your skin, almost impossible to remove until they fester. One has to admire any living thing that is so tenacious!
Reminds me of a cholla cactus (Opuntia bigelovii) that I once met. A nice set of picture of the area I met this nasty beast can be seen at http://www.wbcci12.org/desert2001/cholla.html These are the same cactii used to make the rain sticks that you may have seen & heard in gift shops. Interesting to look at, but don't get to close.
Hope you have an armor suit to walk through the woods. I sure was willing to wear one in the desert after jamming the cholla in my ankle.
Yes, George4tax.. those are some nastly looking little cacti! The devil's club have those little stickers along the stems and on the backsides of the leaves, so one way or the other, they'll nail you if you touch them.... but they don't "jump"!
I have those same gloves!
Yes, I just love these gloves. They allow protection to the hands with some dexterity and grip, as well as some warmth. I've got some others like this that have a fleece lining and a gray palm.
