The Club of the Devil

Not all red berries are ones you want to eat, or in this case, even get to too close too. Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) is found in a few scatter patches in the Green. It is common in wet, shady places in Cascadia, though I suspect the Green is a little too dry for it to thrive in abundance.

As it's scientific name - Oplopanax horridus - implies, you want to be a careful how you approach this thorny plant. You can see the that the stems are covered with thorns, but so are virtually every other surface of the the plant - including on the underside of the large leaves. No thorns on the berries but you still would not want to eat them.

(July 2022)