Skunk Bush?

Moderator: HAZ - Moderators

 Linked Guides none
 Linked Area, etc none
Post Reply
User avatar
Sredfield
Guides: 4 | Official Routes: 4
Triplogs Last: 49 d | RS: 0
Water Reports 1Y: 0 | Last: 503 d
Joined: Sep 08 2002 1:07 pm
City, State: Ahwatukee, AZ

Skunk Bush?

Post by Sredfield »

You are hiking along sucking wind pretty good and all at once you get a lung full of a distinct skunk smell, but you are at 7,000 feet, far from water and you know there are no skunks. It's gotta be a weed of some sort. Does anyone know what bush/weed gives off this distinct odor?

We encountered it several times on Basset 9/23. When we stopped to find it tho, we couldn't locate the bush giving off the aroma. Seems if you put your nose in it, the smell is different
Shawn
The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see.
contribute to this member driven resource
ie: RS > Save/Share after hikes Route Scout GPS Topo Mapper on the App Store Route Scout GPS Topo Mapper on Google Play
User avatar
wetbeaverlover
Triplogs Last: none | RS: 0
Water Reports 1Y: 0 | Last: never
Joined: Jul 24 2004 8:41 am
City, State: Rimrock Az

Re: Skunk Bush?

Post by wetbeaverlover »

In response to Sredfield's reply: High grade marijuana, perhaps? There have been several HUGE pot growing operations busted in the Coconino, Prescott and Tonto national forests in the past couple years. Could be something else of course, but high grade pot has a distinct skunk smell.
Dan
contribute to this member driven resource
ie: RS > Save/Share after hikes Route Scout GPS Topo Mapper on the App Store Route Scout GPS Topo Mapper on Google Play
User avatar
Al_HikesAZ
Guides: 11 | Official Routes: 14
Triplogs Last: 1,036 d | RS: 0
Water Reports 1Y: 0 | Last: 3,176 d
Joined: May 16 2005 1:01 pm
City, State: Scottsdale, AZ
Contact:

Re: Skunk Bush?

Post by Al_HikesAZ »

In response to Sredfield's reply:
Not completely certain, my only guess is Polemonium viscosum also known as Skypilot or Skunk Bush. But I thought it only smelled when crushed. :?: http://www.bio.utexas.edu/grad/timmer/w ... cosum.html

Most other plants that I know of that smell like skunk are at lower elevations and/or riparian habitats.
Anybody can make a hike harder. The real skill comes in making the hike easier.
life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. Andy Rooney
contribute to this member driven resource
ie: RS > Save/Share after hikes Route Scout GPS Topo Mapper on the App Store Route Scout GPS Topo Mapper on Google Play
Post Reply

Return to “Flora”