You’re Growing that Nasty ?

Native plant propagators are often called upon to grow some unusual for unusual projects. This collection of 4 propaga- tion protocols highlights irritating plants—irritating in what they can do to our skin and sometimes irritating in their difficulty to be propagated. However, these plants have important ecological niches and a couple of them have importance to the herbal mar- ket. Read on. . . you may find some aspect of these nasty plants that really intrigues you. I for one am interested in the purported hair-raising abilities of stinging nettle! —The (balding) Editor

Propagation Protocol for Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus)

TARA LUNA

KEY WORDS: seed propagation, stem cuttings, divisions

NOMENCLATURE: ITIS (2000)

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FALL 2001 FALL Devil’s club (Oplopanax horridus) seedlings at Glacier National Park Native Plant Nursery. Photo by Tara Luna Photo by Tara

NATIVE PLANTS JOURNAL For anyone hiking through devil’s club or as a tattoo dye inserted under the running water soak to remove any (Oplopanx horridus Miq. []) skin. Devil’s club is still regarded as a inhibitors and fully imbibe seeds before habitat, they have probably regretted protective force in some localities. It is stratification. We treat freshly harvested not bringing a pair of tweezers in their placed above doorways, on fishing boats seeds with a 400 d stratification—four backpack. Brushing against this spiny or worn as an amulet to ward of evil. 100-d-long periods of alternating warm- results in festering splinters and Traditionally, the smoke from burning moist (20 ˚C [68 ˚F]) and cold-moist (1 unpleasant words. The Latin name plants was used to scare off disease caus- ˚C [34 ˚F]) stratification beginning descriptively translates as “a prickly por- ing spirits (Turner 1998). with the warm-moist treatment. Seeds cupine ginseng.” It is an easy plant to germinate after the second cold-moist RATIONALE FOR PROPAGATION identify and a difficult one to forget! stratification and initial establishment The very spiny shrub grows up to 3 Devil’s club is propagated at the Glacier and growth of seedlings is slow. m (9 ft) tall, with large palmately lobed National Park Native Plant Nursery for Seedlings form firm root plugs in 2 to 3 . Veins of the leaves and the stems restoration projects in the Avalanche y, depending on container size (Wick are covered with sharp prickles. Creek drainage. It is a component of and others 2001). are greenish white and are borne in a ter- the mature western redcedar (Thuja pli- Growing medium is a 2:1:1 (v:v:v) minal cluster during spring. The bright cata Donn. [Cupressaceae]) habitat and milled spaghnum peat moss:perlite:ver- red mature in July and August, can form dense patches in moist seepage miculite with Osmocote controlled each bearing 1 to 3 tan-colored seeds. areas and swales in the under story of release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 Devil’s club is found in moist woods the forest. It is an effective species for to 9 month release rate at 21 ˚C [70 ˚F]) and thickets and along streams and blocking undesired off-trail use in suit- and Micromax fertilizer (12% S, 0.1% seepages from sea level to the subalpine ably moist to wet sites that are sensitive B, 0.5% Cu, 12% Fe, 2.5% Mn, 0.05% zone (0 to 1524 m [0 to 5000 ft]). It is to trampling. The development of prop- Mo, 1% Zn) at the rate of 2 g (0.07 oz) found from Alaska south along the agation techniques is also desirable to of Osmocote and 1 g of Micromax per Pacific coast to southern Oregon, restore the species to areas that have 800-ml container. Plants have a shallowly extending east to southwestern Yukon been over harvested in other portions of rhizomatous root system and will require Territory, central Alberta and the Rocky its range. Perhaps devil’s club can be shallow square containers in order to Mountains of Idaho and Montana, with effectively propagated on small farms or obtain firm root plugs. disjunct populations around Lake nurseries in the near future to relieve Seedlings require shade throughout Superior and Lake Michigan collecting pressure from natural stands. nursery production and for establish- (Hitchcock and Cronquist 1996). Devil’s club is also utilized as an ment on the outplanting site. Other For all its ferociousness, devil’s club ornamental landscape shrub. The large effective seed propagation techniques has many redeeming properties and leaves and course texture is desired by are currently being investigated in uses. It belongs to the same family as some as a specimen plant or as an effec- Alaska. Devil’s club readily germinates American, Asian, and Siberian ginseng, tive barrier on the edge of the garden in the wild after passing through the and like ginseng, it is used as a general (Kruckeberg 1989). Wildlife uses devil’s digestive system of brown bears and a tonic and system-strengthening herb. club as a food source; birds eat the red mild but rapid scarification simulating Many Pacific Northwest and Alaskan berries and grizzly and black bears eat the action of stomach acid on seeds may native groups use devil’s club root tea leaves and young shoots in spring and prove to be an effective treatment for for colds, arthritis, toothaches, stomach ripe berries in fall (USDA 2001). breaking seed dormancy (Ianson 2000). problems, gallstones, and as a blood The Alaska Plant Materials Center in PROPAGATION medicine. It is also used as an external Palmer, Alaska, is the priority site for wash for boils and festering skin irrita- Devil’s club can be propagated by seeds devil’s club in the National Germplasm tions and insect bites (Moerman 1998). or vegetatively from stem tip cuttings. System. Mycorrhizal relationships have An extract of the inner bark has been In Glacier National Park, Montana, been found and are currently being shown to have anti-bacterial and anti- seeds are collected in July and August investigated. fungal properties (Marles and others when fruits have fully matured. Seeds Because of the delayed germination 1999). Indigenous people have used it most likely exhibit a combination of observed on seed propagated plants at to treat tuberculosis and cancer. The morphological and physiological dor- Glacier National Park, methods for traditional uses of devil’s club as an mancy. Morphological and physiological obtaining plants vegetatively were anti-diabetic and studies regarding its employed. Using heavy-duty leather dormancy is exhibited by the related 107 blood-sugar-lowering activity have been Panax, and requires prolonged gloves, cuttings were collected from FALL 2001 reviewed (Marles and Farnsworth periods of warm and cold stratification field plants. Stem tip cuttings taken in 1995). for after ripening of the embryo and to early June during bud break but before Some coastal groups used stem sec- break the physiological dormancy leaves have expanded were successful. tions of devil’s club as fish lures. Other (Baskin and Baskin1998). Cuttings were 20 cm (8 in) in length groups used the charcoal of devil’s club At Glacier National Park Native and 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in diameter and mixed with grease as a black face paint Plant Nursery, seeds are placed in a 72-h were recut at the base and treated with

VOLUME 2 • NUMBER 2 3000 ppm IBA rooting powder. Hosokawa J, Wick D, Luna T. 2001. Propagation [USDA] USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain protocol for vegetative production of contain- Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Cuttings were struck with at least 2 er Oplopanax horridus Miq. plants (3 L con- 2001. Fire Effects Information System [Online]. nodes below the surface of rooting tainers); Glacier National Park, West Glacier, URL: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: plants/shrub/oplhor/ (accessed 3 Jan 2001). medium (1:1 v:v perlite:sand) in an out- http://www.nativeplantnetwork.org (accessed Wick D, Luna T, Evans J, Hosokawa J. 2001. 3 Jan 2001). Moscow (ID): University of Idaho, door mistbed with bottom heat main- Propagation protocol for production of con- College of Natural Resources, Forest Research tainer Oplopanax horridus Miq. plants (490 ml tained at 22 ˚C [72 ˚F]. All cuttings Nursery. containers); Glacier National Park, West rooted in 8 wk and were potted into 3-l Ianson D. 2000. Personal communication. Palmer Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. (1-gal) containers containing the same (AK): Curator, National Arctic Plant Germplasm URL: http://www.nativeplantnetwork.org Unit, Alaska Plant Materials Center. (accessed 3 Jan 2001). Moscow (ID): University medium, Osmocote, and Micromax fer- of Idaho, College of Natural Resources, Forest [ITIS] Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Research Nursery. tilizer described above, but at the rate of 2000. Biological names. Version 4.0 (on-line 4 g (0.14 oz) of Osmocote and 2 g of database). URL: http://www.itis.usda.gov/plant- proj/itis/itis_query.html (accessed 29 Dec 2000). Micromax per container. Cuttings are Kruckeberg A. 1989. Gardening with native grown in the shade house for the plants of the Pacific Northwest. Seattle (WA): University of Washington Press. 252 p. remainder of the growing season. AUTHOR INFORMATION Cuttings produce firm root systems in 1 Marles R, Clavelle C, Monteleone L, Tays N, Burns D. 1999. Aboriginal plant use in Canada’s to 1.5 y (Hosokawa and others 2001). northwest boreal forest. Vancouver (BC): Tara Luna University of British Columbia Press. 368 p. PO Box 447 REFERENCES Marles R, Farnsworth N. 1995. Antidiabetic plants East Glacier, MT 59434 and their active constituents. Phytomedicine [email protected] Baskin CC, Baskin JM. 1998. Seeds: ecology, biogeog- 2:137–189. raphy, and evolution of dormancy and germina- tion. San Diego (CA): Academic Press. 666 p. Moerman D.1998. Native American ethnobotany. Portland (OR): Timber Press Inc. 927 p. Hitchcock CL, Cronquist A. 1996. Flora of the Pacific Northwest—an illustrated manual. Seattle (WA): Turner N. 1998. Plant technology of first peoples University of Washington Press. 730 p. in British Columbia. Vancouver (BC): University of British Columbia Press. Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook. 256 p.

Propagation Protocol for Poison Oak ( Toxicodendron diversilobum)

MIKE EVANS

KEY WORDS: Anacardiaceae, seed germination, vegetative propagation, revegetation

NOMENCLATURE: USDA NRCS (1999)

“Why in the world would anyone grow THAT?” is the most common question we hear when someone walks by a healthy crop of poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum (Torr. & Gray) Greene [Anacardiaceae]) in containers at our nursery. Hopefully, they didn’t step too close as to have brushed against the plants. If they were wearing shorts on a 108 summer day, they might leave Tree of Life Nursery in good shape, but in a couple days they would remember us with an irritating rash on their legs, and their itch might last more than a week.

FALL 2001 FALL Poison oak is an important member of many plant communities in the west Photo by Thomas D Landis from Baja California to British Colum- Poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)

NATIVE PLANTS JOURNAL