Friendly Warning for Hikers

STJVI · Post by **STJVI** » Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:56 pm

I came in contact with Christmas Bush last week:

Christmas Bush photos here:

http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/7265014
http://www.seestjohn.com/flora_christmas_bush.html

I've never heard of anyone having problems with the plant but it sure put a hurt on me. Pea-sized blisters weeping orange fluid along with angry-red inflamed skin covered with dozens of pin point blisters. Swelling, pain, terrible itching. The horrified looks of friends and strangers are pretty entertaining though.

STAY TO THE TRAILS!
I walked off trail a bit and boy did I pay the price. Antibiotics and steroids are helping immensely but I don't want to go through it again.
I was on the L'Esperance trail but the stuff is pretty common although no one I know has seen it afflict someone to the degree it did me.

Pia · Post by **Pia** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:25 am

Christmas Bush is nasty nasty stuff - hubby has suffered the consequences more than once. The "island" remedy is to stand in the ocean for 1 hour immediately after contact - this helped once but a trip to the clinic has always followed with a prescription course of steroids.

I have seen it very close to the trail on Rams Head (close as in less than 12" in places)

Hope you are feeling better and it should start to clear after about 7 days on the steroids

Pia

STJVI · Post by **STJVI** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:40 am

Thx.. four days of steroids work like magic so far.

loria · Post by **loria** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 5:14 pm

yeah that stuff is all over the rams head trail....best to give a wide berth!

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 5:34 pm

Appreciate the heads' up! Does it grow just in dribs and drabs, or actual bushes? Hard to tell from the photos and not much comes up on google.

P-600 · Post by **P-600** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 7:29 pm

There is also some on the right hand side of the trail heading out to Soloman and Honeymoon before the turn down to the beach.
Thanks for the tip, Pia!

STJVI · Post by **STJVI** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 8:50 pm

mindehankins wrote:Appreciate the heads' up! Does it grow just in dribs and drabs, or actual bushes? Hard to tell from the photos and not much comes up on google.

I dont remember seeing it!

I went through some pretty thick bush. I've lived here a year and a half and never heard of anyone contracting it before... I was aware of a potential danger but unfortunately over confident.

seagrape · Post by **seagrape** » Mon Nov 26, 2012 10:19 pm

OMG! While building on STJ, my husband contracted that stuff 4 or 5 different times. The first time it came out on the plane on the way home to Alaska. A self-diagnosis set the Alaska doctors straight to the steroids. Some people are highly prone if they've had poison ivy or oak. My husband walks near a plant and poof. I seem to be immune, so I wear gloves and use poison to eradicate the plants. Last time we were down, I found saplings in my outdoor POTTED plants ON THE UPPER DECK! This stuff is nasty! If you get those sores, get straight to the doctor ASAP.

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:39 am

OK I'll watch for the identifiable leaves, then! Thanks, and glad you're doing better now.

usvi-on-line