SHAGBARK HICKORY - Indiana Native Plant S



POISON IVY

When walking or working off the trails, one must be vigilant against various harmful plants. One of the most harmful of the plants is Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans [L.] O. Kuntze). This plant is both fast-growing and long-lived.

Poison Ivy is a member of the Order Sapindales, the Family Anacardiaceae, and the Subfamily Anacardioideae.

The generic name, Toxicodendron, is Greek for “poisonous tree or plant”. Toxico (or toxikos) is “poison” or “poisonous” and dendron is “tree” or “plant”. The specific epithet, radicans, is from the Latin word, radica, which is “roots” or “rooting”, referring to the vines’ roots.

Previous scientific synonyms for this species were Rhus radicans L. and Rhus toxicodendron L. The generic name, Rhus, is a Greek and Latin name for “sumac”.

Poison Ivy was first named by Captain John Smith, founder of the Jamestown Colony, in 1609. Other common names for this plant are Climath, Climbing Ivy, Climbing Sumac, Common Poison Ivy, Cowitch, Eastern Poison Ivy, Gift Sumac, Gowitch, Markwood, Mercury, Picry, Poison Creep, Poison Creeper, Poison Mercury, Poison Vine, Poisonwood, Poor Man’s Liquid Amber, and Three-leaved Ivy.

DESCRIPTION OF POISON IVY

Perennial

Form: Poison Ivy can take upon different forms. It can be an erect upright shrub, a sprawling or trailing vine, or a thick climbing vine. These vines do not twine around other objects. The vines and the shrubs make ideal Bird (Class Aves) nesting habitats.

Height: Its height is variable. The shrub may be about 2-10 feet, and the climbing vine may be over 75 feet.

Stem: Its climbing vine stems are woody, hairy, strong, and flexible. They have no thorns or spines. The resin canals are arranged in circle like numbers on a clock.

Wood: Its wood is soft, porous, and has raised pores. Its sapwood is wide and light-colored.

Twigs: Its twigs are brown or tan. They are softly hairy their 1st year and smooth their 2nd year. Its leaf scars are U- or V-shaped and have 6 bundle scars. Eastern Cottontail Rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus J.A. Allen) eat these twigs.

Buds: Its terminal buds are dark tan, hairy, slender, pinched at the base, and slightly curved at the tip. Its lateral buds are smaller, hairy, and appressed.

Leaves: Its leaves are deciduous, alternate, and pinnately compound with 3 leaflets. They are located near the tip of the branch. The 3 leaflets are variable. Each leaflet is oval, ovate, or rhombic; has a rounded or a wedged base; and has a pointed tip. They may be glossy, dull, or hairy. They may also be thin, stiff, and leathery. The side veins are alternate. The margins are entire, wavy, toothed, or lobed. The leaf petiole is about 2½-6 inches long, slender or thick, glossy to hairy, and has a thick base.

The middle or end leaflet is about 1¼-8 inches long, about ½-5 inches wide, and has a ½-1 ¾ inch leaf stalk. The 2 smaller side leaflets are about 1¼-6 inches long, about ½-4 inches wide, have a1/8 inch long leaf stalk, and have unequal sides.

These leaves turn red, orange, or yellow in the fall. White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann) and livestock may eat these leaves without suffering any ill effects.

Flower: Its flowers are alternately arranged in loose, open, axillary, slender, and irregular panicled spike clusters that are about 1-4 inches long. Each flower is white, yellow, or green; radially symmetrical; and about1/8-¼ inch wide. It has a calyx with 5-lobes; a corolla with 5 smooth, triangular and recurved petals; 5 separate stamens with white filaments and yellow-brown anthers and that extend beyond the flower; and 1 pistil with a 3-parted stigma, a stout style, and a single celled ovary. These flowers are either unisexual or bisexual. Bees (Superfamily Apoidea) and Flies (Order Diptera) pollinate these flowers. Flowering season is May to July.

Fruit: Its fruits are arranged in clusters. Each fruit is a dry, globose, and waxy drupe or berry. The fruit is white, tan, gray, yellowish, or cream. It is about ¼ inch in diameter. Its outer coat is papery with shallow, longitudinal grooves and its inner coat is fibrous. Yellow-rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata L.), Northern Bobwhite Quails (Colinus virginianus L.), American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos Brehm), Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo L.), Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum Vieillot), American Robins (Turdus migratorius L.), Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis L.), Woodpeckers (Family Picidae), and over 75 other bird species eat these fruits. Fruiting season is August to November but may remain upon the plant throughout the winter.

Seed: Its seeds are a single, hard, and striped stone. The seeds pass intact through a bird’s digestive system to spread this plant.

Roots: Its root system is extensive. It has a woody taproot. Its rhizomes may run under ground and send up leafy shoots at their nodes to form clonal colonies.

Climbing vines have aerial rootlets. These roots are bright red and fuzzy when young but later become brown or grayish black. The rootlet hairs secrete a powerful adhesive that attaches them to the tree. These roots are not parasitic to the tree.

Bark: Its young bark is red-brown and smooth. Its mature bark is gray-brown, thin, and slightly scaly or flaky.

Habitat: Its habitats consist of open woods, thickets, woods’ edges, fields, pastures, fencerows, roadsides, railroads, and disturbed waste areas. It is moderately shade tolerant but grows best in open sunlight.

This plant often appears near settled areas. It is more common now than before the European settlers arrived.

Range: Its range covers most of the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. It also includes Mexico, Central America, West Indies, Bermuda, and the Bahamas.

It is also native to parts of Japan, China, Korea, and Russia. It may have migrated to North America via the Bering Land Bridge.

In 1632, it was introduced to England. It has since been introduced to the rest of Europe and to other countries.

Urushiol:

Urushiol (or toxicodendrol) is a yellowish, toxic, irritating, and heavy non-volatile oily oleoresin alkaloid. It is found in nearly all parts of the plant. It is from the Japanese word, urushi, which is “lacquer”. It is not found in the pollen or in leaves that have fallen in the fall after the urushiol has returned to the stem. It is produced in the plant’s resin ducts and is produced year-round. It is an allergen and causes Rhus dermatitis in most people.

Urushiol is a persistent chemical. It can still be found upon the dead and dry plant. It can remain active for up to 100 years. It turns brown then black upon exposure to the air. If it comes in contact with clothing, tools, or animal fur, the urushiol persists upon them.

It takes only 1 nanogram (1 billionth of a gram) to cause this allergic reaction. A single pinhead can have enough urushiol to affect 500 people.

Symptoms:

To get the affliction, one must come in contact with the plant. It may even take repeated contact. One cannot get it from looking at it. However, the urushiol can get in the smoke of the burning plant and can affect people.

Symptoms of the affliction include inflammation, irritation, itching, redness, and swelling. These symptoms may appear from a few hours to several days after contact. This varies with the degree of contact with the plant and with the individual’s susceptibility.

Almost all parts of the body are susceptible. However, the hand palms, the feet soles, and the scalp all have tougher skins and are less susceptible.

About 70-85% of humans are susceptible to Poison Ivy. A person’s sensitivity can vary with age. A younger person is usually more sensitive than an older person.

Later symptoms may consist of blistering. These blisters may break open and exude fluids. This fluid consists of clear blood plasma that does not have urushiol. These fluids later dry up and form scabs and crusts. These symptoms may last about 2-3 weeks.

A few people may experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever and headaches.

Scratching may spread the rash if oil is present upon the skin. Scratching may also lead to infection.

Treatment:

If one does come into contact, that person should immediately wash the area with cold water, with rubbing alcohol, or with vinegar. Warm water opens the skin pores to allow the oils to enter the skin. Detergents or alkaline soap should also be used. Oil-based soaps may spread the urushiol. The washing should be done within 5-10 minutes, before the oil penetrates the outer skin and bonds with the proteins and the lipids of the inner skin. Bleach, ammonia, gasoline, kerosene, turpentine, or lacquer thinner are harmful to the skin and should not be used. Although the oil is water insoluble, the water should dilute and oxidate the oil and make it less potent.

If one gets the symptoms, creams and ointments that contain corticosteroids and antihistamines can treat the rash and the itching. Some of these require prescriptions. Calamine lotion should dry the rash. More serious cases should seek medical attention.

A few native plants have some medicinal properties that may relieve some of the discomfort. Jewelweed (Genus Impatiens), Common Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.), and Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum Elliott) washes are effective. Poultices of the Ragweeds (Genus Ambrosia) or of the non-poisonous Sumacs (Genus Rhus) are also effective against this plant’s discomfort.

Contaminated clothing should be washed separately to avoid contaminating other clothes. Use hot water and plenty of detergent. Repeated washing may be better.

Cultural History:

Poison Ivy has played a role in our nation’s cultural history. Bob Kane’s DC comic book character, Batman, had a villainess named Poison Ivy (Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley).

Many adages have been written or said about Poison Ivy and its various plant parts. Some of these adages are “leaflets three, let it be”, “leaflets three, turn and flee”, “leaflets three, quickly flee’, “alternate leaf, possible grief”, “fruit white, a warning sight”, “berries white, take flight”, “hairy vine, a danger sign”, “hairy vine, no friend of mine”, “climbing vine, not so fine”, and “only a dope swings from a hairy rope”.

Future of Poison Ivy:

While our planet is experiencing global warming, it is having an effect upon the Poison Ivy. The increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are encouraging the growth of this plant. It is also producing more urushiol in both volume and potency. Future generations may suffer even more severe allergic reactions.

REFERENCES

THE POISON IVY, OAK, AND SUMAC BOOK

By Thomas E. Anderson

THE POISON OAK AND POISON IVY SURVIVAL GUIDE

By Sandra J. Baker

FALL COLOR AND WOODLAND HARVESTS

By C. Ritchie Bell and Anne H. Lindsey

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION FIELD GUIDE TO WILDFLOWERS OF NORTH AMERICA

By David Brandenburg

MEDICINAL AND OTHER USES OF NORTH AMERICAN PLANTS

By Charlotte Erichsen-Brown

POISON IVY, pets, AND PEOPLE

By Heidi Ratner-Connolly and Randy Connolly

MISSOURI WILDFLOWERS

By Edgar Denison

THE BOOK OF FOREST AND THICKET

By John Eastman and Amelia Hansen

POISON IVY, POISON OAK, POISON SUMAC, AND THEIR RELATIVES

By Edward Frankel, Ph. D.

NATURE’S REVENGE/OUTWITTING POISON IVY

By Susan Carol Hauser

WILDFLOWERS OF OHIO

By Robert L. Henn

POCKET GUIDE TO THE WILDFLOWERS OF NORTH AMERICA

By Catherine Herbert Howell

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION FIELD GUIDE TO TREES OF NORTH AMERICA

By Bruce Kershner, Daniel Mathews, Gil Nelson, and Richard Spellenberg

POISONOUS PLANTS OF THE UNITED STATES

By Walter Conrad Muenscher

EDIBLE AND MEDICINAL PLANTS OF THE GREAT LAKES REGION

By Thomas A. Naegele, D.O.

NEWCOMB’S WILDFLOWER GUIDE

By Lawrence Newcomb and Gordon Morrison

TREES AND SHRUBS

By George A. Petrides

SEASON OF PROMISE

By June Carver Roberts

ALL ABOUT WEEDS

By Edwin Rollin Spencer

POISONOUS PLANTS OF THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES

By Homer A. Stephens

WICKED PLANTS

By Amy Stewart

THE NATURAL HISTORY OF WILD SHRUBS AND VINES

By Donald W. Stokes

THE USES OF WILD PLANTS

By Frank Tozer

COMMON POISONOUS PLANTS AND MUSHROOMS OF NORTH AMERICA

By Nancy J. Turner and Adam F. Szczawinski

SHRUBS AND WOODY VINES OF INDIANA AND THE MIDWEST

By Sally S. Weeks and Harmon P. Weeks

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