Poison Ivy: Leaves. Poison ivy has thin, often shiny, bright-green compound leaves. The edges of the leaves usually have large indentations at irregular intervals. The leaves occur in threes, with one leaf at the end of the stem, and two leaves opposite each other on the stem. Hence the saying, “leaves of three, leave it be. " The young leaves may be orange, and in the fall the leaves turn red. Vine. The stem is woody and in its native territory is the only native vine with aerial roots. Aerial roots are small roots that grow out of the stem and also help the vine to cling to a support. English Ivy also has aerial roots, but it is not a native plant, and its leaves are very different from those of poison ivy. The aerial roots are commonly seen on older plants growing up or over non-soil supports (stones, trees, fences, etc. ). They are often reddish. The aerial roots make the main stem appear hairy, hence the saying, “hairy rope, don’t be a dope. " Flowers and berries. Depending on the time of year, the plant may have clusters of small, yellowish-green flowers (usually in June) or hard, greenish-white berries (fall). Deer and birds eat the berries, and excrete the seeds, causing new plants to sprout in new places. Poison oak grows primarily in dry areas and also has leaves of three leaflets, and while the leaves often resemble “true oak” leaves, they may take on other appearances as well. They are usually green in spring and summer, turning reddish in late summer and fall. The flowers and berries are white to yellowish-green, as in poison ivy (hence another saying, “berries white, poisonous sight”). Poison sumac has leaves of 7-13 leaflets, produces a small, white or grey berry, and is found in boggy or riparian areas. Hereafter, the article refers only to “poison ivy” for brevity, but the steps for poison oak and poison sumac are the same.

Leaves. Poison ivy has thin, often shiny, bright-green compound leaves. The edges of the leaves usually have large indentations at irregular intervals. The leaves occur in threes, with one leaf at the end of the stem, and two leaves opposite each other on the stem. Hence the saying, “leaves of three, leave it be. " The young leaves may be orange, and in the fall the leaves turn red. Vine. The stem is woody and in its native territory is the only native vine with aerial roots. Aerial roots are small roots that grow out of the stem and also help the vine to cling to a support. English Ivy also has aerial roots, but it is not a native plant, and its leaves are very different from those of poison ivy. The aerial roots are commonly seen on older plants growing up or over non-soil supports (stones, trees, fences, etc. ). They are often reddish. The aerial roots make the main stem appear hairy, hence the saying, “hairy rope, don’t be a dope. " Flowers and berries. Depending on the time of year, the plant may have clusters of small, yellowish-green flowers (usually in June) or hard, greenish-white berries (fall). Deer and birds eat the berries, and excrete the seeds, causing new plants to sprout in new places.

Exercise caution not to touch your face or eyes (or other exposed skin) with hands or gloves that may have come in contact with poison ivy.

You can also use Tecnu Extreme or Zanfel cleanser if you know you have been exposed to poison ivy. They are both very effective at removing the urushiol, which is vital. Even if used at the first sign of itching or rash, they can reduce the effect and severity of the allergic reaction. See How to Treat Poison Ivy and Poison Oak for more details.

Figure 1. Poison ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer. [1] X Research source {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/1/15/PoisonIvyQuiz01_295. JPG/460px-PoisonIvyQuiz01_295. JPG”,“bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/1/15/PoisonIvyQuiz01_295. JPG/728px-PoisonIvyQuiz01_295. JPG”,“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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\nLicense: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Public_domain">Public Domain</a>\n</p></div>”} Figure 2. Poison Ivy or not? Click the link to the right for the answer. [2] X Research source {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/8/8c/PoisonIvyQuiz02_493. JPG/460px-PoisonIvyQuiz02_493. JPG”,“bigUrl”:”/images/thumb/8/8c/PoisonIvyQuiz02_493. JPG/728px-PoisonIvyQuiz02_493. JPG",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

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