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[title size=”2″]Poison Ivy[/title]

Poison ivy is a deceptive plant that can make the outdoors an unpleasant experience. Poison ivy has the ability to hide easily among other plants. It is best known for the skin irritation it causes in human beings. This is due to its irritant, urushiol oil, which is found throughout the plant including the leaves, berries, flowers, and stems. Although sensitivity to the plant varies, it only takes brief contact to initiate a rash. This is one of the many reasons why it is important to err on the side of caution when exploring the Ozarks. In addition to not touching poison ivy, it is important not to burn the plant, whether it is fresh or dried. Inhaling the smoke allows the urushiol irritant to enter the airways and can potentially cause blisters on the lungs. Poison ivy grows in a variety of forms including bush-like, vine-like or ground cover-type growth. Each stem on the poison ivy plant has three leaves. The leaves are usually a darker green during its blooming period lasting from spring through summer. To add to its tricky nature, the shape of each poison ivy leaf is inconsistent: it may be narrow or broad, but generally always has a pointed head. The center leaf is the most helpful in identifying poison ivy. The stem of the center leaf is long, and some of the plant’s leaves are shiny while some are dull. Some poison ivy plants have small flowers and produce berries that are whitish in color. Moreover, poison ivy is a versatile plant, able to grow in both sunlight and shade. Despite its unpleasant effects on humans, some animals do safely eat the berries produced by the poison ivy plant.

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Toxicodendron radicans

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