Beware the poison ivy

WRAL
Dolly R. Sickles
April 28, 2007

Poison ivy grows throughout much of the United States, and more than likely, somewhere in your garden.

Unlike the Hedera varity of ivy that you use for decorative ground cover or erosion control, Toxicodendron radicans produces a sticky, oily, resinlike skin irritant called urushiol that causes an itchy rash for most people. If you grab it while weeding barehanded, or run into it hiking or playing out side with your children, you may have an allergic reaction resulting in a skin rash that often looks like red lines (and sometimes it forms blisters). If it's eaten, then it effects the airways and digestive tract. The urushiol oil can still be present on dead poison ivy plants for up to five years, so beware.

Poison ivy can be easily identified once you know what to look for ... or if you've ever had an allergic reaction to it. Look for it in wooded areas, as a groundcover (4 - 10 in high), climbing vine on various supports, or in extreme presences a shrub (4 ft tall). Remember the little rhyme: Leaves of three, let it be. The three leaves have an almond shape and range in color from light to dark green, and then turn a dark red in the fall.

It is often confused for Virginia Creeper vine because the younger leaves are lighter green and grow in groups of three, but the Virginia Creeper leaves are more serrated on the tips.

A systemic herbicide is one way to kill poison ivy, sprayed directly on the plants while they're actively growing. You can also pull it out by the roots, but you need to be extremely careful. Cover up all bare skin (long-sleeve flannel shirt, heavy work gloves, safety goggles, long pants, hat) and then dispose of it in tightly sealed plastic trash bags. Do NOT burn it because the fumes can be toxic. Cover the ground with a heavy layer of mulch to prevent it from coming back.

# # #