Poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. These clever plants have developed a defense mechanism that means contact with them causes a red, itchy and painful rash that can last a week or more. If you tussle with them, you'll lose every time. Here's a handy rundown of their identifying features so you can avoid them (and disaster) altogether.
1. Poison ivy grows throughout North America in wooded areas, especially near the outskirts, and is sometimes found on exposed rock and as underbrush in open fields. It can be a shrub-like cluster or a vine crawling up other plants. Identify it by its cluster of three leaves with reddish hairs on the vine. It has no thorns.
2. Poison oak is an upright shrub that grows in thickets and forests along the western coast. Like poison ivy, its leaves grow in groups of three but with scalloped edges (resembling the leaves of an oak tree, hence the name). The leaves range in color from reddish to bright green, depending on the time of year.
3. Poison sumac grows in wet, swampy areas, commonly in the southern and eastern US and Canada. Unlike poison ivy and poison oak, it's a small tree or large shrub, and instead of growing in groups of three, its branches grow between 7 and 13 leaves. The leaves are oblong, tapering to a sharp point. You can identify the poison variety of sumac by its drooping green berries while harmless regular sumac has bright red, upright clusters of berries.
The skin reaction is not to the plants themselves, but to their toxic sap called urushiol. It's found in all parts of the plant, not just the leaves (a common myth). Also keep in mind that any exposure to urushiol will cause a reaction, even if it's indirect contact with gardening tools or clothing.
If you can treat the exposed area soon enough, you may be able to avoid or lessen the reaction. Rinse well with water only (soap can spread the sap), then use antihistamines and hydrocortizone creams to alleviate the symptoms. Soaking in a cool oatmeal or baking soda bath can also help soothe the itching.
If you've ever been sidelined by these nasty plants, you know it's well worth the extra diligence to avoid them when gardening, hiking or camping this summer. Check the photos and save your sanity!
Images: 1. Flickr member blmurch, licensed under Creative Commons; 2. Wikipedia ; 3. Flickr member Lovingshiva and licensed under Creative Commons
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Thanks for this post! We live in the country and I always wear gloves when I pull anything unknown. I've seen poison ivy definitely!
Tara, don't forget to carefully pull off those gloves and immediately toss them (and your gardening clothes) into a washer with hot water.
In regards to management after touching it - Dawn Dish Soap will remove the sap/oil. And don't take a hot shower for a day or two. The hot water will open your pores (not a big deal for someone who has little reaction or has a huge reaction but it can make the difference to those that fall in the middle). Basically treat it like pepper spray and you're good! They also sell products that are meant to remove it (oh and any product that removes the sap/oil will also work on skunk spray sicne it's an oil as well so if your dog gets sprayed, use Dawn.) gotta love a grease cutter.
I never ever got poison ivy as youngster, and I know I would have been exposed to it running around the countryside in Western Mass. But now as an adult I'm quit susceptible to it -- apparently it is common that people become more allergic to it as they age.
Also be cautious of your pets-- dogs can carry the sap on their coats, especially swimming/hunting dogs that have thick oily coats. I have gotten poison ivy from my grandpa's black lab after he (the dog) was out running around in the woods.
Thank you! I work at a summer camp, and we have poison ivy all over. A lot of people are confused about what it looks like.
My mom can get poison ivy by just looking at it from a distance, but the only time I ever developed the rash was when I petted a horse that had brushed against it, then scratched just under my bra... It was rather uncomfortable.
Same with me, FRANK. My dog picked it up in the bushes of my back yard and gave it to me last spring. I didn't even know it was out there. But now I am on poison ivy patrol every few weeks to remove it. I wipe down any exposed skin with rubbing alcohol after I do yard work and also use it on my dog's paws if I think he may have run through it. The alcohol is good at removing the urushiol oil and can prevent it from spreading or lessen the reaction.
Thanks, MacBride! I do indeed. And I wash my hands all the way above my elbows as soon as I get in the house drying with paper towels. Not sure what's what out there I'm hypervilgilant. Knock on wood, haven't gotten it yet!
I saw a story on TV by a nature reporter about the hairy vines (not sure which poison) in the winter being still active. Yikes. He's nature guy and didn't know...got it while clearing brush.
To limit your contact even further, take some plastic bags out with you. Slide the bags over the plant before you start to touch it.
Please know that Poison Oak grows on the east coast as well and there are two different varieties in fact for each coast. The picture that this article shows is actually the east coast poison oak. They are hairy and tend to be green until the fall when they turn like other leaves. What this article describes is the West coast poison oak which has a different look than the actual picture shown. If you live in Va and south this can be just as common as poison ivy. Especially around old tree stumps etc.
Also, be very careful if you are clearing brush and are considering burning the brush. I have had a number of friends growing up that have actually had cases of poison ivy or oak down their throats or in their eyes from the smoke. If the wood or anything as been covered in these plants consider staying away from it if you are sensitive.
tarainsevenvalleys the hairy vines are often poison oak. Not sure if you live in the southeast but that is what we are taught to look out for with regards to poison oak.
The sap is still poisonous when the plant is dead. My dad was clearing what he thought was dead, dried up poison ivy. He was covered in rashes the next day. Always stay covered when clearing any kind of poisonous plant...dead or alive.
I made the mistake of not double bagging the poison ivy a couple years ago. Got it on my arm & then it spread systemically to other parts of my body. It. Was. AWFUL. I thought I would need to cut my arm off it felt so horrible. It took several weeks to finally clear & then I had scars (physical & emotional) for a year.
My husband's grandmother burned some years ago & ended up in the hospital with the rash in her lungs.
It must be disposed of properly- it can't go in yard waste or compost. It must be bagged & put in the trash. Ugh. Even thinking about it makes me itch.
For the record, mango skins contain the same chemical that makes these plants touch-toxic. Mango season brings with it a ton of contact dermatitis cases in areas that farm them like Hawaii, and if you're like me and peel them by hand as you eat them, be careful not to touch your face during or afterward without washing your hands. I learned this the hard way, halfway through a deliciously ripe horde of on-sale mangoes last month. It took my face several days to fully recover, and now I am a LOT more careful about how I eat them.
At work (I'm a gardener) we use Tecnu when we come in contact with poison ivy. It has worked well for me when I know I've been in the poison ivy. I've also just done the soap and water technique with reasonable success when I've been at my boyfriend's mom's house and not had any tecnu.
People who are not allergic should always be careful, these things change. One of my coworkers discovered the hard way that he had become allergic!
Thanks - I just started to get really involved in the yard work around the house (yep, totally hung out in the house and let my dad handle everything when I was a kid), and I'm now fairly certain that I saw two of these growing up through the hostas in the front yard. Awesome.
If you see Poison sumac, you are most likely standing in a bog. The fruits are green... until they ripen to white like poison ivy/oak. Often there will be black streaks of sap on the stems/trunk as well.
@holler I eat mango skins all the time.
Mango peel and sap contains urushiol and are in the same family as poison ivy (Anacardiaceae). If you pay attention, you will find that some people get canker-sores or cold-sores soon after eating mango, especially if eaten from the skin.
I was cleaning up weeds and tall grass around my back deck this last weekend and while doing so ripped out a bunch of poison ivy bare handed.
Luckily I seem to be at least mostly immune to the poison as I've rolled around in the stuff while younger and barely got a quarter sized rash on my forearm that lasted all of 2 days. Its been 3 days since I ripped out the ivy and haven't gotten any itchy spots.
I wont risk my luck with poison oak or sumac. I even try and avoid ivy regardless of immunity. Some of my friends are so allergic to the stuff that getting within a few yards of it on a windy day will make them break out.
Not sure how that works but I've seen it happen.
My property is 5 acres in the middle of nowhere so I must deal with this stuff often.