We’ve been getting warnings from several quarters about the Poodle Dog Bush, also called Sticky Nama (Turricula parryi).  It’s a fire-follower plant that lives in granatic soils and can form thickets.  It’s pretty, but you neither want to touch it or breathe too close to it if you encounter it in the hills.

The poodledog has highly-irritating glandular hairs to discourage herbivores.  The sticky hairs — which can dislodge easily — can be passed on to hikers who touch it or brush up against it, causing an itching dermititis that can last for two weeks.  Even shaking the plant and inhaling close to it can cause a serious reaction.

Wikipedia says: “Chemicals exuded by the glandular trichomes (prenylated phenolics) result in severe contact dermatitis and an inflammation response similar to that caused by poison oak. The scientific name of the plant’s genus, Turricula, means “little tower” in reference to the stalk of deep blue, deceptively lovely flowers that rises over the plant in the spring. At other times of year the poodle dog bush can appear to be a droopy collection of brownish stems topped by green pom-poms of narrow leaves, shaped a bit like a clipped poodle.”  Orange County Register has a short article.