Day 319: Oplopanax horridus, otherwise known as Devil's Club, is aptly named in either English or Latin. The bane of hikers (especially those who travel cross-country rather than on trails) grows to ten feet in height with foot-wide leaves and one-inch diameter stalks which bear 2,473,876 hooked thorns per square inch by actual count. Or at least that's what you'd think if you accidentally grabbed one to pull yourself up a slope. It is arguably one of the thorniest plants in the forest and often chokes streambeds with an impenetrable tangle. Topographic considerations aside, Devil's Club provides an even stronger reason to stick to ridgelines when you're travelling off trail!
I just came off two days on the PCT near the WA/OR border and saw lots of Horridus--the only horrible thing being they're not edible (I don't think...). I worked up a powerful hunger having run out of food before the miles were finished with me and these berries taunted me.
ReplyDeleteNope, not edible by humans, although bears enjoy them greatly. And I should qualify this...the plant does have medicinal properties and was used extensively by native peoples in various forms.
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