Re: Was: R: mystery plant Contact dermatitis from Grevillea

This is interesting, but I think it may be overly
alarmist.  I have planted out several Grevillea Robyn
Gordon shrubs over the past 5 years, and often
deadhead the old flowers by hand, without gloves, and
have not had any bad reaction.  I also tip pinch the
shrub to make it bushier, and again do this without
gloves.  I do have a reaction to our native poison
oak, and can say that just brushing against this while
hiking, even when deciduous, it is highly contagious. 
I haven't noticed any similar reaction with Grevillea
Robyn Gordon or its sister cultivar Superb.  I am not
saying that some people might be sensitive to
Grevillea, but it doesn't seem to be as bad as our
native poison oak or poison ivy.  I have had more of a
temporary skin reaction to every day Tam Junipers than
any of the Grevilleas I have planted.


--- Rich Dufresne <salvia1@earthlink.net> wrote:

> 
> From: 
>
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0536.1986.tb01311.x?cookieSet=1&journalCode=cod
> 
> Contact dermatitis from Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon'
> 
>      * Jennifer Menz11Queen Elizabeth II Medical
> Centre, Nedlands, 
> W.A. 6009, Australia,
>      * Ric Rossi22Clinical Biochemistry Department,
> Queen Elizabeth 
> II Medical Centre, Nedlands, W.A. 6009, Australia,
>      * Wal C. Taylor33University of Sydney, Sydney,
> N.S.W. 2006, Australia and
>      * Leon Wall44Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre,
> Nedlands, W.A. 
> 6009, Australia
> 
>      *
>        1Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands,
> W.A. 6009, 
> Australia2Clinical Biochemistry Department, Queen
> Elizabeth II 
> Medical Centre, Nedlands, W.A. 6009,
> Australia3University of Sydney, 
> Sydney, N.S.W. 2006, Australia4Queen Elizabeth II
> Medical Centre, 
> Nedlands, W.A. 6009, Australia
> 
> Dr. Jennifer Menz, 37 Tenth Avenue, St. Peters,
> Adelaide, S.A. 5069, Australia
> 
> Grevillea'Robyn Gordon'is an Australian hybrid plant
> which may cause 
> allergic contact dermatitis. Over the past 8 years,
> in bag been 
> planted extensively in Australia and is now being
> exported to the 
> United Slates mid other Western countries. Recently,
> fin explosion in 
> incidence of contact dermatitis due to this plant
> has been seen. 24 
> patients who were suspected of being sensitive to it
> were patch 
> tested to fresh plant and extracts with confirmation
> of sensitivity.
> 
> A cross sensitivity to Toxicodendron was
> demonstrated clinically and 
> on patch testing. The allergen in Toxicodendron, 3 
> pentadecylcatechol, is closely linked in chemical
> structure to 
> 5-penladecylresorcinol. present in Grevillea banksii
> and 
> tridecylresorcinol in Grevillea robusta. Patch
> letting in patients 
> sensitive to Grevillea'Robyn Gordon'with
> tridecylresorcinol produced 
> positive reactions, thus implicating the sensitizing
> role of long 
> chain alkyl resorcinols in Grevillea'Robyn
> Gordon'allergy. There is a 
> likelihood that (his sensitizing potential extends
> to other plants of 
> the Grevillea genus, e.g. Grevillea robusta.
> 
> With the spread of Grevillea' Robyn Gordon'to other
> markets, this 
> problem will become increasingly common.
> 
> As a side note, the group of 5-alkylresorcinols
> includes a precursor 
> for tetrhydrocannabinol (THC), the active factor of
> marijuana.
> 
> Richard F. Dufresne
> 2119 US 220 Alternate South
> Candor, North Carolina 27229 USA
> 910-974-4009
> World of Salvias:
>
http://www.eclectasy.com/gallery_of_salvias/index.htm
> Salvia email list:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Salvia
> No attachments over 1 meg, please
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index