poison ivy

Poison ivy
Poison ivy it grow in the garden, take over larger area if not kept in check. It can make us itch for day. Why? Let take a look.
First what does it look like? We all have heard leave of 3 leave it be but this is only a good start


Leaves: Leaves occur on petioles and are divided into 3 leaflets which are generally oval in outline. Leaflets may be either toothed, untoothed, or lobed. Older leaves are generally either toothed and lobed or untoothed and lobed. The two lateral leaflets occur on very short petioles, while the central leaflet occurs on a much longer petiole. Although leaf shape is highly variable, the lateral leaflets are often distinctly lobed on one side of the leaflet and not on the other. Each leaflet is hairless and ranges from 3/4 to 4 inches in length and width.


I like to put both a drawing and a photo of the plant so you can see a lot of detail. The plant itself is very pretty. I have seen it in the fall with a very nice red color to the leaves.

Here are so fun saying that may help you remember what it look like
Various mnemonic rhymes describe the characteristic appearance of poison ivy:
1. "Leaves of three, let it be."
2. "One, two, three? Don't touch me."
3. "Hairy vine, no friend of mine."[2]
4. "Berries white, run in fright" and "Berries white, danger in sight."[3]
5. "Raggy rope, don't be a dope!" Poison ivy vines on trees have a furry "raggy" appearance. This rhyme warns tree climbers to be wary.
6. "Longer middle stem, stay away from them." This refers to the middle leaflet having a notably longer stem than the two side leaflets.
7. "Red leaflets in the spring, it's a dangerous thing." This refers to the red appearance that new leaflets sometimes have in the spring. (Note that later, in the summer, the leaflets are green, making them tougher to distinguish from other plants, while in autumn they can be reddish-orange.)
8. "Side leaflets like mittens, will itch like the dickens." This refers to the appearance of some, but not all, poison ivy leaves, where each of the two side leaflets has a small notch that makes the leaflet look like a mitten with a "thumb." (Note that this rhyme should not be misinterpreted to mean that only the side leaflets will cause itching, since actually all parts of the plant can cause itching.)
9. "If butterflies land there, don't put your hand there." This refers to the fact that some butterflies land on poison ivy, since they are not affected, which provides them protection as their predators avoid eating the plant.[4]

Poison ivy has the botanicy name of Toxicodendron radicans and is part of the anacardiaceae. I know that a mouth full but that it name. the plant put out an oil that is uses to protect itself from the sun call urushiol this is what causes irritant on the skin. The oil can stay active for a long time even dead only handle even the dead leave carefully.
Now that you got it all over you now what do you do? Frist thing is your mother is right wash your hands. This is the best way not to get poison ivy next if you think you got it use one of the many sope on the market that break up the oil. Try to stay out of the sun and where it is cool for a few days. And use some Benadryl both the pill and the cream. For most people, this well work in a few days. However if you have it over more then 70% of your body if you have eaten it or if it is on very sentivt area of your body or you are under 12 years old se a doctor.
Just for fun check out this site http://www.poison-ivy.org/poison-oak-show/index.htm