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Re: plant sampling/allergies

> I planted a new perennial border this spring and my neighbour just
> informed me that she is extremely allergic to something we are growing.
> She has 'someone' coming today to take a sample of each plant and do some
> testing to find out what she is allergic to.  Does anyone know what's
> involved in this and if it will harm the plants?  I'm not sure what she
> expects me to do if she finds one of my beautiful plants to be the
> culprit.  I guess I'll deal with that later (maybe if she gets rid of her
> monster of a dog and her cat who eats my herbs we can work out a deal
> <grin>)

I don't know of many cultivated perennials that cause allergy.  In
addition, one would havee to be exposed to something for a  while to
develop an allergy -- in other words, a newly planted border would have
to contain something that she had previously been exposed to.  Is
anything obviously covered with pollen?  That's the only way to get an
airborne allergy...

This is highly unusual.  Most folks are tested for a reaction to certain
plants.  I've *never* heard of extract being made from random plants
just to test someone.

Call an allergist to discuss the situation -- or ask her allergist which
parts of the plant would be best to collect.  Leaves are not going to
cause an airborne allergy.

-- 
Amy Moseley Rupp
amyr@austx.tandem.com, Austin, TX, USDA zone 8b, Sunset zone 30
*or* amyr@mpd.tandem.com
Jill O. *Trades, Mistress O. {}
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