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.
Look for the vine with clusters of three leaves. Poison ivy always has chunks of three leaves. Use this as the main part of identifying poison ivy, since this plant is not so obvious in most other ways. Poison ivy is amazing with its knack to grow in different 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.
Recognize more of poison ivy’s identifying features. Beyond clusters of 3 leaves, there are several other features of poison ivy. They include:
- Pointy tips
- Bigger middle leaf
- Stem vs. no stem
- Waxy on top, fuzzy on bottom: The leaves can appear in a variety of shades of green, but they are also usually a darker green on top. The underside of the leaves typically looks lighter in color.
Check for fruit. Poison ivy plants produce small clusters of fruit. If the plant has berries, do not touch or eat them.
Don’t touch any part of the plant. All parts of the plant contain urushiol oil, so avoid any contact with all parts of the plant. Urushiol is a colourless oil that can remain on objects for months.
