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Poison Ivy PlantAlthough they share parts of each others names the poison ivy plant and the regular ivy are not related at all. It is not more than the fact that they both are within the Magnoliopsida class and in some sense resemble each other. Not even the name of ivy is something they have in common due to the fact that the regular ivy isn’t called ivy at all, but Hedera. And while the Hedera is evergreen the poison ivy plant is not. Shedding its brightly red leaves in the fall, the poison ivy plant saves its energy during the winter and will grow new light green leaves in the spring. By summer the leaves will have darkened and small beautiful flowers will start to bloom. The flowers will then become what could be gray-white berries but actually are drupes. |
The poison ivy plant can only be found growing naturally in the greater parts of northern America where it climbs as a vine, grow as a shrub or even spreads out as a groundcover. Therefore it is easy to come in contact with poison ivy plants without even knowing it. As a shrub the poison ivy plant can become at least 4 feet (1,2 meters) tall and as groundcover it grows as small plants up to 10 inches (24 cm) in height. The poison ivy plant is far more common today then it has been and one of the reasons for this is the change of plants and flora introduced by the arriving Europeans during the 16th century. It has even been established that the population of poison ivy plants almost has exploded due to the increasing global warming. It has even been stated that it increases its grade of allergic reaction when touched.
The poison is actually not poison at all but a skin irritant produced by the vines of the poison ivy plant. The skin irritant is an oil known as urushiol and appears in all plants of the Anacardiaceae family. Urushiol causes an allergic reaction that shows itself as a severe skin rash that sometimes even will need corticosteroids to become better. Even dead the poison ivy plant could contain plenty of urushiol so be careful and do not take any unnecessary risks. It is therefore best to wear gloves if you need to come in contact with the poison ivy plant, otherwise leave it be. To know what to avoid, a simple mnemonic has been constructed which reads “Leaves of three, let it be” referring to the fact that the leaves of the poison ivy plant always grows in compounds of three. Obviously you should not try to eat the leaves or inhale the smoke of a burning poison ivy plant. It will cause severe pain to your throat, stomach and lungs, it could even be fatal
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poison ivy plant