The pyramid of flowers is as tall as a beer stein…

The leaves are wider than a dinner plate…

The plant towers over my head !

It reminds me of something from Gulliver’s Travels into the land of giants.  Where else would I find such drama??

But we aren’t in Brobdingnag.  Strathcona Park is a real place (and just as magical).  It’s these moist rain forests of Vancouver Island that provide the right conditions for Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus).

This could make a great architectural statement in the garden.  Shouldn’t I get one?

Actually no.   It’s armed and dangerous.

ARMED:
Check out the spikes!
They spiral all the way up the stem and run along the veins of the leaves — on both sides!  Yikes!

C had an adventure hiking through a stand once.  Can you imagine?  WorkSafe BC does not recommend it.

DANGEROUS:
It’s not just the wicked spines.  The luscious red berries look mighty tempting but they’re poisonous.  Yup.  Bears might chow them down for dessert, but if you’re a people, give them a miss.

The original people of this coast have a long history with Devil’s Club. Uses vary widely, from making fishing hooks to tattoo dye. They celebrate its powerfully medicinal as well as spiritually protective  charms.

I wonder how many centuries it would take before I gathered enough nerve to ask anything of a plant so obviously stand-offish.

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