Page 1 of 1

Skunk Bush?

Posted: Sep 24 2006 6:17 am
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

Re: Skunk Bush?

Posted: Sep 24 2006 8:16 am
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.

Re: Skunk Bush?

Posted: Sep 24 2006 11:44 am
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.