Guide to Contact Poisoning in the Garden

While many people may be aware of the toxicity of some garden plants upon digestion, they may be clueless to the fact that poisonous compounds can also be transmitted simply through handling. There are numerous touch-me-not garden plants that can cause rashes, burns, and blisters on contact. Some of the most well-known irritant plants are poison ivy, oak, and sumac. However, there may be unlikely culprits growing in the garden.

The sap, juice, or oil of some plants can cause contact poisoning. Not only can these irritant plants be painful, but in overly sensitive individuals, they can be disastrous. They're especially dangerous upon reaching the eyes (through rubbing) or the lungs (through smoke inhalation of burning plants). The sap from numerous bulbs can irritate the skin and may cause rashes. These include caladium, calla lily, elephant ear, daffodil, amaryllis, daylily, hyacinth, bluebell, and tulip bulbs. The juice from common garden shrubs such as hydrangea and oleander can cause minor skin rashes. Many euphorbia species, of which some are shrubs and others are succulent plants, can actually burn and scar the skin on contact.

The oil/sap from some trees can trigger the same response in people who are overly sensitive to poison ivy and the like. These include mango and cashew trees. Japanese honeysuckle and trumpet vine can both spawn skin irritation when touched as well. Other plants in the garden may not be as deliberate in their attacks. Phototoxic plants, for instance, do not affect you right away. Instead, their skin irritants cause painful burns with increased exposure to sunlight-similar to bad sunburns. Common culprits include celery, limes and other citrus fruit, fennel, wild rhubarb, gas plant, fig, and parsnip.

In addition to these plants, contact poisoning in the garden can also come from plants with sharp blades, thorns, or burrs. Some even exhibit tiny hairs that can actually irritate the skin when touched, such as strawberry fruits or tomato leaves. Other similar touch-me-not plants include thistle, rose, raspberry/blackberry, cactus, euphorbia, yucca, lantana, and various bamboo plants.

Anytime you're working in the garden, you should take precautions, especially in the event you have skin irritant plants lurking around. Contact poisoning is not fun. In fact, it can be painful and extremely serious in some cases. As with skin irritant plants like poison ivy, some gardeners may be affected more than others. To play it safe, it is always better to wear protective clothing and gloves when working around potentially harmful plants. Always be sure to remove clothing and wash hands thoroughly, even when wearing gloves, after performing garden maintenance. This will help ensure that any oils or other plant parts that may be present will not penetrate the skin.