Furthermore, if you inhale smoke from burning poison ivy, you may have difficulty breathing. It’s often maddeningly itchy and can last for two to three weeks. The rash typically takes 12 to 48 hours to develop, and is characterized by redness, swelling and tiny blisters, according to the Mayo Clinic. Or you can pick up the resin by touching objects such as clothing or gardening tools that have touched the plant.
#How to identify poison ivy skin#
For example, if you pet a dog that has waded through poison ivy, the irritating resin could be transferred to your skin from the dog’s fur. They’re hardy and can tolerate being wet or dry, but they especially thrive in open, sunny areas therefore, poison ivy is often found along the edge of fields or in forest clearings.Ĭontact with poison ivy often results in a rash, which is caused by urushiol - a sticky, oily resin that covers the entire plant.Ĭontact with the plant doesn’t have to be direct to result in a rash. | Photo by Glen MittelhauserĪs a vine, poison ivy produces alternating stems and attaches itself to trees or other structures with hairy, aerial roots that sprout along the stem, according to the Home and Garden Information Center of Clemson Cooperative Extension in South Carolina.īoth species are found growing in a wide variety of habitats, from woodlands to backyards. Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) climbing up a tree on a Maine island. “So with the basic description, you tend to call more things poison ivy than actually are.” “There are other plants with glossy leaves, and other plants with leaflets of threes,” Mittelhauser said. And in the fall, its leaves turn red, according to Maine State Horticulturist Gary Fish.
During the summer, the plant produces clusters of tiny white flowers, as well as green to white berries. The leaves of poison ivy are often glossy, but not always. Some species like varying, and poison ivy is one of them.” “Plants will be plants,” said Glen Mittelhauser, a Maine naturalist who has authored multiple plant field guides.
0 kommentar(er)
