Some weird stinging plant thing?

InFront

I was out in the garden playing with the dog this morning, and I fell over her and dropped my hand in a clump of weeds under a hedge. Anyway after about five minutes it started to sting really badly, and then I put some ointment on it but all day it's been stinging and even slightly numb at times. There's no physical wound, and there are no thistles/ etc there, it's some sort of skin irritation.

No medical advice required, but does anyone know what plant might have caused that? Nettles are out of season or rare, and anyway wouldn't last all day. Any other March garden weeds that sting or produce allergies relatively frequently? Just curious really:)

morgana

Could it have been poison ivy?
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/img/pictures/pi-pics-may/index.php

luckat

No poison ivy in Ireland.

Sounds to me more like a bite than a sting.

My nettles are rampaging happily over the garden; in fact, traditionally if you want to eat nettle tops for a nice boost of greens you should do so before St Patrick's Day. (Very nice washed in salty water - with rubber gloves on - then drained and cooked with a little butter and salt and a dash of nutmeg.)

vallo

There is a weed whose name escapes me. It's about the size of a dandelion with similar size leaves which are slightly hairy and have distinctive whitish spots/blotches on them
Some people consider it ornamental and plant it on purpose. I got it for free in my garden and can't get rid of it. If you brush off it, your skin reacts after a few minutes.

just remembered the name ... Pulmonaria

John Mason

it sounds like nettles to me. yeah, they are happilly growing away in my garden at the moment too - i got a bad sting last year and my finger was numb for a few days, nothing to worry about

InFront

Thanks for the ideas guys, good news is I still have my hand and the stinging eventually disappeared \o/ and I didn't need major surgery:D