Beware of the Sting......Macro Monday Poisonous
The poisons are in tiny hairs on the edge and underside of the leaves. Each hair is, effectively, a sealed hypodermic syringe. Brushing passed a hair breaks off the top leaving a sharp end which sticks into the skin. Continuing sideways movement results in the bulb containing the poisons being squeezed so that the toxins are injected. The sideways action is essential to break the tops off and leads to the concept of 'grasping the nettle' which suggests that you can avoid damage to the hairs if you take hold of the plant with no sideways movement.
Beware of the Sting......Macro Monday Poisonous
The poisons are in tiny hairs on the edge and underside of the leaves. Each hair is, effectively, a sealed hypodermic syringe. Brushing passed a hair breaks off the top leaving a sharp end which sticks into the skin. Continuing sideways movement results in the bulb containing the poisons being squeezed so that the toxins are injected. The sideways action is essential to break the tops off and leads to the concept of 'grasping the nettle' which suggests that you can avoid damage to the hairs if you take hold of the plant with no sideways movement.