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| I notice this plant in one of the books. It's never mentioned anywhere call Dictamnus Albus or Gas plant. I think it may be call a gas plant because it gives off an oil that if you can hold a match to will flare up in to a flame, which means it's probably not a good plant to have around your grill :-). Part of the reason I am looking is that it appears to be low maintenance as well and needs no dividing and does not look like it would be difficult to grow
Anyone growing it have some info on it. Can it grow well in zone 5? Can it grow in some partial shade? Can it grown under dappled shade? What plants does it go well with? Paul |
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I grow it - it's the white spikes on the left in this picture:  It's a pretty easy-care plant. You should be aware though that the sap can be a skin irritant, so wear gloves when cutting it down in fall or otherwise working around it. (see the link below to someones blog description of their experience with a gasplant...) |
Here is a link that might be useful: gasplant
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| It grows wild in Poland which is zone 6(five-ish in the East). It is not a difficult plant to grow, but it grows slowly and it will become leggy in the shade(flopping). I have thrown it out as it can cause a very serious irritation to your skin(I have forgotten what it is called in English, when you're not allowed to expose your skin to sunshine). The oils smell of lemon. Very beautiful when well grown, as far as I remember not for acid soils. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Oct 12, 11 at 12:04
| so ... its a highly allergic plant .. that will explode if you smoke near it.. why not just plant some spontaneously exploding poison ivy ... seriously.. you are so hard pressed you cant come up with alternatives??? hope you dont have any kids who will be playing in the yard.. because there will be only one place the ball will go .... ken |
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| Ken, you exaggerate, when you lit it with a match, it briefly lights up and flames go up the plant, which doesn't even harm the plant, but it's not going to explode into a giant fireball. Most of the listing don't mention the toxicity. The wiki page mentions that it taste bad, and does not mentioned that it's toxic. Good point about the kids though. Some listing indicate that it causes an allergic reaction for some people, which implies (perhaps incorrectly) that only some people will be affected by the sap. I assume that this isn't as bad as hog weed? You won't be permanently scarred forever or go blind? Paul |
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- Posted by christinmk z5b eastern WA (My Page) on Wed, Oct 12, 11 at 13:14
| Obviously Ken has NO actual experience with this plant himself. I think it is a beautiful plant and well worth growing. I got mine (Dictamnus albus 'Rubra', a pinkish one) at a plant sale four years ago. I agree with the other posters that it has been SUPER slow to bulk up- it wasn't until the third year that I saw a small bloom. One thing I noticed, the plant doesn't seem to like dry, difficult soil. They resent being moved, but I moved mine this year since it is still pretty small (under a foot) and it sulked for awhile but survived. You should see the stand of gasplant at the park where the sale was. So amazing! So far I have not had any skin irritation by rubbing up against the foliage or pods. I even rubbed a bit on my wrist and it was fine. I think just certain folks are sensitive to it. Now get me rubbed up against a Juniper or prickly evergreen and I WILL start itching and welting, LOL!
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| I would like to point out that there is a confusion with the name: the name albus refers to the white roots of the plant , not to the flowers. The flowers on the nominative species are pink with visible darker veins. So the white flowered form is called D.albus Albiflorus. The name Rubra is most probably a superfluous misunderstanding, as they are not any different from the nominative form. Rubra usually refers to something redder than the species. And I have not seen any. (This is something I have read many years ago.) I have not seen white specimens in the nature. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Oct 12, 11 at 14:52
| are all plants around a taco bell.. gas plants???? and of course i am exaggerating .. its called 'joking around' .... i dont care what you plant.. but on my 5 acres.. if a nettle pops up.. i will tell you that w/o a doubt.. a kid will find it.. and somehow roll on it .. whats that all about ... pssst... thats an exaggeration too ... lol ken |
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| At my home in Michigan I had the pink one. A lovely plant that had no trouble establishing itself in the sandy rather dry soil. It was nearly bushel basket sized in 3 years. Here in my Pensylvania clayish soil is a different story. I lost 2 plants over their first winter. One lived for 3 years, but never got any bigger than when I planted it from a gallon sized pot. I seem to be immune to the plant's oils that cause the rash, but my husband (who gets a rash from just standing 100 feet from poison ivy) is not. He got a very nasty blistering rash on the inside of his forearms while spreading mulch around it. But before he mulched the gas plant, he had spread the mulch around several junipers. I think his rash was much worse than what would be normal because his arms were scratched up from the junipers. I wouldn't plant Dictamnus where children are present, but reasonable care, as in gloves, long sleeves should be all that is needed for careing in it. |
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| Mine is pink and it was named Dictamnus albus purpureus. It is a light pink, but not quite as light as this picture seems.
The card that came with it says "rich, moist, well-drained soil, full sun". My soil is dry and lean. I probably amended it though. My sun amount is pretty good, not great as the surrounding woods seems to get taller each year. That hosta didn't last there. too sunny and dry. I like that it is basically carefree, low-maint and no problems. But I have not figured out what to plant with it. The bed it is in was primarily designed as a yellow-red-orange summer bed, but some spring pastels have crept in ad-hoc. The bloom time would be similar to Iris'es, Amsonia, Geranium bikova, peonies, Salvia (in picture), tulips |
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| I have found the name of the skin condition it causes : '' Phytophotodermatitis (also known as "Berloque dermatitis"[1]:32) is a chemical reaction which makes skin hypersensitive to ultraviolet light. It is frequently mistaken for hereditary conditions such as atopic dermatitis or chemical burns, but it is caused by contact with the photosensitizing compounds found naturally in some plants and vegetables like parsnips, citrus fruits, and more '' Here is a picture of the natural habitat taken from Wikipedia in Polish. :
The habitat is described as dry forests and sun-baked dry hills, soil rich in calcium (Ca) but poor in other nutrients.. Nearly no watering in cultivation. The plant is listed as toxic (2 alcaloids among many others), used in medicine and perfume industry. Hardy in zone 3 to 9. Can attain the age of 20 years. The picture was taken from this site: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyptam_jesionolistny You can also be interested in this quote: ''Phytophotodermatitis connotes phototoxic reactions consisting of erythema (with or without blistering) and delayed hyperpigmentation. Phototoxicity implies an immediate or delayed inflammatory reaction caused by the combination of a topical or oral photosensitizing agent followed by the appropriate wavelength of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) to the skin.37 This response can occur in any person who has been exposed to adequate amounts of a photosensitizing chemical and UVR. It is therefore not an immunologic reaction, and no prior sensitizing exposure is necessary for any potential victim.'' For die-hard taxonomists: As far as I know none of these names are scientifically valid: Ruber, Purpureus, Caucasicus. They all refer to the same species and are synonymous(But I may be wrong too :-) )
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Here is a link that might be useful: phytophotodermatitis
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