B.C. sisters burned by invasive plant's toxic sap while flower picking

An afternoon of picking flowers in B.C.'s Okanagan valley ended in burns, blisters and puffy faces for two young girls visiting their grandparents in July. 

The sisters happened to pick a Myrtle spurge from their grandparents' yard in Fintry, about 39 kilometres north of Kelowna. It's an invasive plant whose sap can cause burns, swelling, redness and blisters, and which can be toxic when ingested.

Sandra Nimmo says she found her granddaughters with their faces puffed up with blisters the next morning and used allergy medicine to treat them. 

"The grandchildren were okay, they laughed when they saw their faces in the mirror and it only took about a week and a half to clear their skin," Nimmo told the Invasive Species Council of B.C. (ISCBC), who later provided her with resources for medical treatment and removal of the plant.

Invasive species are plants or animals that have been introduced to an environment, intentionally or by accident, from other areas. 

Without their natural predators, they can end up taking over an area, introducing disease and threatening biodiversity, explains the ISCBC, a non-profit that works to help stop the spread of invasive species in the province. 

Invasive plants, in particular, can "displace native vegetation through competition for water, nutrients and space."

According to executive director Gail Wallin, 60 per cent of invasive species, including Myrtle spurge, are intentionally planted across B.C. Other invasive plants found in the province include Japanese knot weeds, the Scotch broom, the giant hogweed.

Myrtle spurge, typically imported as a garden plant, is native to the Mediterranean. In B.C., it's most commonly found in the Okanagan region, where it thrives in hot, dry weather. 

She encourages gardeners to stop planting Myrtle spurge altogether. 

"Let's look for more responsible choices," she said.

"There are many invasive plants that gardeners plant because they look exotic, beautiful, something you haven't seen before. Those are all signs that they probably could be invasive."

She also suggests gardeners do their research and consider alternatives to invasive plants with the help of the council's Grow Me Instead guide. 

For example, instead of Myrtle spurge, the ISCBC suggests Lanceleaf Stonecrop as a non-invasive alternative.

"Before you buy a new plant or trade it with your neighbour, make sure it's not invasive and make sure it's actually something that's safe to have in our gardens."