Cneoridium

 Rutaceae

©The World Botanical Associates Web Page
Prepared by Richard W. Spjut
December 2004; August 2006

Cneoridium dumosum
San Diego Co., CA, near Tecate
Spjut & Adams 5251, Nov 1978

Cneoridium dumosum
San Diego Co., CA, near Tecate
Spjut 2246, Mar 1973

 

Cneoridium dumosum
San Diego Co., CA, near Valley Center
June 2006

 

Tunget C.L., S. G. Turchen, A. S. Manoguerra, R. F. Clark and D. E. Pudoff. 1994. Sunlight and the plant: a toxic combination: severe phytophotodermatitis from Cneoridium dumosum.  Cutis 54(6): 400-402. “A severe case of phytophotodermatitis occurred in a patient who had spent several hours walking through an area densely populated with Cneoridium dumosum. This patient's co-worker experienced a similar reaction after undergoing patch testing of an area of skin and exposing it to sunlight. Voluntary patch testing by one of the authors produced a reaction consistent with the other two cases. Approximately twenty other cases were described by a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ranger in students who came into contact with the plant during a field trip with him to Baja California, Mexico. Cneoridium dumosum is a common native bush that grows in the chaparral vegetation zone of southern California and Baja California, Mexico. In a search of Poisindex, Medline, Agris International, and Agricola databases, no previous reports of toxic exposures were found.”