Identify Poison Ivy

Poison ivy is a common plant on the North American continent, noted for its ability to create an itchy rash on contact with skin. It is an extremely adaptable, persistent type of vegetation and as a result, it can be easy to accidentally become affected. Fortunately, it is not all that difficult to identify with a little practice. This article can help.

Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) can be identified as follows:

• Poison ivy has leaves that grow in groups of three.
• Poison ivy leaves are pointed at the tip.
• Poison ivy is usually green in the spring and reddish-orange in the fall.
• Poison ivy grows as both a vine and as a shrub.
• Poison ivy flowers with small clusters of white berries in the spring that last throughout the winter.

Steps

Identifying Features of the Plants

1. Look for the vine with clusters of three leaves. Poison ivy always has clusters of three leaves. Use this as the defining characteristic, as this plant is not so obvious in most other ways. Poison ivy is remarkable with its ability to grow in a variety of ways. Although it is called "poison ivy" it can not only grow upwards clinging to surfaces like an ivy, but can also, grow as a bush or single plants.
   • If growing in rocky places, it tends to take over from all other vegetation. If growing near something like a tree or a fence, it will twine itself around the object as it grows, creating a dense mass of vegetation which cannot be crossed.
2. Learn the phrases: "Leaves of three? Let them be!" or "One, two, three? Don't touch me.", as these plants have a cluster of three leaves at the end of a long stem. More identifying indicators of leaves include:
   • Look for three leaflets connected closely together on each stem. The tip of each leaf should be pointy.
   • The leaflets are broad, and the two lateral (side) leaflets are smaller than the terminal (end or middle) leaf.
   • The center leaf usually (almost always) has a small stem, wheres the two side leaves grow directly from the vine and do not have small stems.
   • The leaves tend to be a bright to dark, waxy green when viewed from above. When viewed from underneath, they appear lighter and fuzzier. In spring, the leaves are usually a bright green, while in fall, they turn red (poison ivy) or bright red or orange (poison oak).
   • However, while these leaves usually appear shiny, they won't always. In particular, do not rely on shininess as an indicator after it has rained recently.
   • "Hairy vine, no friend of mine.", and also:
     • "Longer middle stem; stay away from them." -- the middle leaflet has a long stem while the two side leaflets attach almost directly.
     • "Ragged rope, don't be a dope!" Poison ivy vines on trees have a furry, "raggy" or ragged appearance.
     • "Berries white, run in fright" and "Berries white, danger in sight."
     • "Red leaflets in the spring, it's a dangerous thing." -- new leaflets sometimes are red in the spring. Later, in the summer, the leaflets are green -- while in autumn they can be reddish-orange.
     • "Side leaflets like mittens, will itch like the dickens." This refers to the shape of some poison ivy leaves, where each of the two side leaflets has a notch that makes the leaflet look like a mitten with a "thumb." (Caution: all parts of the plant can cause itching, not just these leaves.)
3. Check for fruit. If either plant has berries, these will appear as follows:
   • Translucent for both plants
   • Poison oak fruit tends to be hairy
   • Poison ivy berries are white or cream-colored
   • The fruit tends to stay on the plants all through winter and spring.
4. Be aware that even when poison oak or ivy changes color, it is still harmful. Despite the color change, the urushiol oil still stays on the leaves.

Spotting Poison Ivy and Oak When Out and About

1. Inspect vines before touching, brushing against them or walking through them. When growing as a vine, poison ivy can snake its way along trees. When it grows like this, it is tons of little poison ivy plants growing out of a vine. Always inspect a vine if you need to go near it, and see if it has plants growing out of it.
2. Remain vigilant even during the winter months. Poison oak drops its leaves in winter, leaving a bare stem of a vine hanging down. But for sensitive individuals, this can still cause a rash.

Tricky Things to Be Aware Of

1. Avoid confusing poison oak with other plants. Some other plants have two or three similar-looking leaves. Such other plants may have spines on the leaf tips (holly or Mahonia) or thorns on the stems (blackberry). However, it is better to avoid plants that resemble poison ivy.
   • If you see a plant that has all the characteristics, but have regular, uniformly shaped leaves, or sharp tips on the edges, it's not likely to be poison ivy. Poison ivy has tips that are more randomly spaced and somewhat curved between the tips along the edges.
2. Even if other animals eat an unidentified plant, that does not mean it is safe. Toxic plants are not poisonous to all creatures. Deer and other grazing animals may happily eat poison ivy.

Tips

• Teach children from when they can walk not to touch unidentified plants. This is part of going into nature. This is especially true in winter when plants don't have identifying leaves.
• Once you break out, keep the rash as uncovered as you can. The air seems to hasten healing.
• Watch for a rash two to three days after possible exposure and begin treatment immediately. See How to treat poison ivy and poison oak for treatment options.
• Change your shoe/boot laces once exposed to poison ivy. The oil can remain on the laces, allowing you to keep reinfecting yourself.
• Watch when dogs go off leash. Humans are not the only ones that are allergic to the oil on the poison ivy leaves, and you might not notice a difference on your dog's skin hidden by fur: check on the bare abdomen. Also, be careful, when you pet your dog or you could get the oil on your skin, also. Wash your dog thoroughly, if you think there may have been an exposure. To prevent any such worries, keep your dog on leash when in the woods or vined places, as you should anyway, on any public trail, out of respect for other hikers!
• Learn to identify these plants if you're allergic. Severe allergies can cause great harm. Bring a picture along until you can spot it immediately.
• Bring Technu or other specialized soap with you and apply it immediately upon exposure.
• A bad reaction and getting yourself contaminated is also possible with outdoor cats.
• These plants are also found in Bermuda and the Bahamas.
• When you wash any skin you think may have contacted poison ivy (or oak or sumac), the most important thing is to use a washcloth - with any good soap - and bear down to scrape the oil off the skin. Wash thoroughly within an hour if possible, two at most.
• Go home and wash all exposed skin carefully after a hike. Wash your hands first before rubbing them all over your body. Use cold water and soap. Use cold water because warm water will open up the pores in your skin allowing the oils to seep in. Cold water will keep pores closed. Normal bar soap will not work. You may use a kitchen dish washing liquid detergent as a degreaser, applied undiluted, and then rinse it off completely to remove the poison ivy's oil.
• Contact your doctor for medication

Warnings

• Never burn poison ivy as a method to get rid of it. The oil on the leaves will burn, and if you breathe in the fumes, chances are you'll get it in your throat or lungs, which will make breathing extremely painful. It can be damaging or even lethal.
• Poison ivy can be embedded in the Virginia creeper, so never just go rolling around in the Virginia creeper, or there might still be serious consequences. And be aware that it's easy to confuse poison ivy with the Virginia creeper. Even though the Virginia creeper has five leaves, it's still easily mistaken for poison ivy (or vice versa).

Things You'll Need

• Photos or images to carry with you to aid identification––use your smartphone or similar device for easy photo retrieval
• First aid treatments for poison plant rashes especially when walking in nature, hiking or camping
• Degreaser, such as dish-washing detergent not diluted, or a specialized soap for poison plants (not ordinary soap)

Related Articles

• Identify Poison Oak
• Identify Oak Leaves
• Treat Poison Ivy and Poison Oak
• Prevent Getting Poison Ivy or Poison Oak
• Get Rid of Poison Ivy Rashes
• Get Rid of Poison Ivy Plants

Sources and Citations

• Paul Tawrell, Camping and Wilderness Survival, p. 71, (2006), ISBN 0-9740820-2-3 research source
• Lynn Brunelle, Camp Out!, p. 237, (2007), ISBN 978-0-7611-4122-8 – research source

See also

• Identify Wildflowers
• Identify a Sycamore Tree
• Identify Oak Trees
• Identify Oak Leaves
• Find Wild Edible Plants
• Identify Stinging Nettle
• Identify an Elm Tree
• Identify Cherry Trees
• Identify Common Poisonous Berries in North America
• Identify Chickweed

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• Get Rid of Poison Ivy
• Identify Poison Oak