Desert woodrat, Neotoma lepida, in a century plant.

Who Knew You Could Be Allergic to Agave Americana?

Until this summer, my only known allergy was to the Australian silk oak, Grevillea robusta, which I wrote about in the July 2020 issue of TCI Magazine (Safety Forum: “Beware the Australian Silk Oak.” Quite recently I suffered another, albeit less serious, case of contact dermatitis from direct exposure to the sap of an Agave […]

Beware the Australian Silk Oak

I am writing to report on an unusual accident that happened to me on the job here in Arizona. I own/operate a tree and landscape service I founded in 2015 and am a professional tree climber. On June 4, 2020, I removed an Australian silk oak tree (Grevillea robusta) from a residential backyard in Oro […]

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