Today I thought we would examine a few fun facts and de-bunk a few myths about poison ivy. It seems to be growing rampantly in this area, and it behooves us to recognize its varied forms.
‘Leaves of three, let it be’,
‘Berries white, run with fright’,
‘Hairy vine, no friend of mine’.
All these rhymes give a hint of the main characteristics of poison ivy, but there are quite a few variables to deal with when a positive identification is needed. I’ll attempt a scientific approach to a description first:
Poison ivy may be a climbing or trailing vine or even a small, skinny shrub. As a trailing vine it may appear to be a ground cover. Each leaf is composed of three leaflets – two of the leaflets having short stalks and the middle one having a noticeably longer stalk.
The leaves are red-tinged in early spring, becoming plain green in summer.
The margins (edges) of the leaves are slightly toothed or not; the leaf shape varies from lobed to egg-shaped. Poison ivy vine climbs straight up a tree attaching itself with aerial roots; over time the vine becomes thickened and hairy-looking. This is what poison ivy loves to do best!
Another line of poetry states: ‘Leaves of five, leave alive', and this refers to the often misidentified Virginia creeper (as poison ivy) with its five leaflets and similar brilliant fall color. As I have recently read that Virginia creeper may also have a dermatitis-like effect on some people, maybe we should leave both plants strictly alone!
The rash-producing ingredient of poison ivy is a potent oil called ‘urushiol’
(yoo-roo-she-ol).
• Fun fact: Only 1 nanogram (billionth of a gram) is needed to cause a rash, and only ¼ oz. would give every person on earth a reason to scratch.
• Myth: Some persons are immune to the effects of poison ivy. The truth is that those persons have yet to reach the stage of exposure when a rash will result from touching the urushiol. Body chemistry changes at various stages of life, and this so-called immunity is no lifetime guarantee.
• Another fun fact: The Japanese used an urushiol lacquer to coat the gold leaf decorating a temple in Kyoto to discourage pilferage.
• Myth: You can catch poison ivy merely by standing near the plant. Sorry, direct contact is needed either with the plant or a pet’s fur or the clothing of someone else who has brushed up against the plant to release the oil. Lawn mowers and string trimmers can cause the oil to become airborne – this is how I made my first contact with the beast!
• Fun fact: Poison ivy berries are much sought after by woodpeckers, pheasants, thrushes, and quail. The outer rind provides nourishment, the seeds exit without causing any discomfort, and the birds aid the plant in seed dispersal. Mutual ‘back-scratching’?
This member of the Cashew family (not a true Ivy) is related to the Sumacs and is found from coast to coast here in America, and also in the West Indies and China. It has been introduced into Britain as an ornamental because of its fall coloring. I wonder if they’ve found out yet about its other gifts…
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