This Christmas Bush you do not want to mess with

Christmas Bush is the Virgin Islands equivalent of Poison Ivy

& is really, really nasty stuff

There are so many wonderful things to see and do on St John including

hiking

, whether along our wonderful beaches or through the National Park hills, however, we do have a couple of nasty plants that - if touched - can ruin your day or vacation! One of them is commonly called the 'Christmas Bush', probably because its leaves look like the leaves of a holly tree and are red and green. The formal name of this plant is

Comocladia Dodonaea

.

Here is a close up of it. The effects of rubbing up against it are quite similar to the rash one can get with poison ivy. Nasty! Be  forewarned and give this plant plenty of space!