What is this vicious plant?

[Hanalei]

(for pictures, see posts below) I went out to pick some lettuce from our garden about an hour ago, and when I went to pick a piece of lettuce, my pinky finger brushed up against this weed and I didn't think anything of it. About 3 seconds later when I had pulled my hand back, it started hurting, like there was a splinter or something, but there was nothing there. I picked a couple more pieces of lettuce and left. By the time I got to the gate out of the garden, my finger was stinging, and it felt like there was 1,000 tiny needles in it. I kind of squeezed it to get anything that might have gotten stuck out, but there was nothing there. By the time I got inside and washed it in cold water, there were little white spots on my finger. By dinner I noticed that the stinkin' plant actually cut the first layer of my skin about half an inch long. That doesn't hurt, but the 2 spots that are now gone sure do, still, and its kind of swollen. I put some antibiotic stuff on it, which helped a little bit, but an hour later it's still hurting. But it's not letting me post pictures! Is there any way to show you the pictures without posting them? It's giving me something that says, "We have been having a big problem with spam and have had to temporarilly limit what brand new members can post. To continue, please reduce the number of URLS or images in your post to 0."

 

[Hanalei]

 

[Hanalei]

 

[897tgigvib]

Looks like Wild Dewberry, closely related to Raspberry and Blackberry.

I don't know what part of the country you're in, but I have those all around here. At first when I was reading your first post about it, it sounded like you were describing Stinging Nettle. Actually, from what I see in the photos with my poor eyes, they could pass for stinging nettle too.

If there are definitely visible thorns, it's the dewberry. If there are no real visible thorns, it's the nettle.

If you have a dewberry scratch, use a magnifying glass or strong reading spetacles to see if there is a thorn tip stuck in your scratch hiding.

If you have a stinging nettle sting, the "stingers" are microscopic. You'll never see them. If it is nettle, only thing you can do is put your finger in some hot, very soapy water. Hot as you can stand, but not too hot to do a scald! Hot water softens the nettle stingers.

But it still looks like pacific forest dewberry. Clean it out and bandage it. Bactine or neosporin may help it heal faster.

 

[seedcorn]

Looks like nettles to me. KILL it!!!!!!

 

[so lucky]

Put a pair of gloves on and go face the enemy: Pull one up by the stem. Stinging nettle is very fragile; the leaves will crush in your hand and the stem will break easily. The dewberry has a firmer, stiffer stem and leaf, and most likely will have runners underground, that you will pull up with the plant. Nettle doesn't. If it's nettle, you can use it for various things. Make tea with the young leaves. Very healthful.

 

[Hanalei]

After researching them both online, I do think it's the stinging nettle. The effects of it sure seem spot on, and it looks pretty similar to some of the pictures I saw. But then I guess a plant like that would know that it should grow in an organic garden where it can be used! Thank you very much!

 

[hoodat]

Get your revenge, steam or boil it and eat it. Very nutritious and the heat kills the element that makes it sting. Alternatively you could dry it. It has medicinal uss when made into a tea.
http://www.herballegacy.com/Vance_Medicinal.html

 

[897tgigvib]

Stinging Nettle is also a great compost booster. For some reason it makes the compost biodegrade faster.

 

[hoodat]

Stinging Nettle is also a great compost booster. For some reason it makes the compost biodegrade faster.

Thanks for bringing that up. I didn't think of that but it's true. Nettle concentrates minerals from your soil and gives it back to the compost as it decays.