Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy (or so I'm told) Photo by James St. John on Wikimedia

​Toxicodendron radicans
 
Today’s Wishlist Wednesday species is probably a bit unexpected. I would really like to see (but not touch) Poison Ivy. The reason is that I have never seen it. I don’t know what it looks like, and I’m worried that someday I will unknowingly encounter it and suffer the consequences.  

I thought maybe I had never lived somewhere where Poison Ivy doesn’t, but that isn’t true. It lives in Arizona and then from South Dakota south and east. There is also a second species, Western Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii), which lives in every state but California and the Deep South. So why haven’t I seen it? Or have I and not known it?

I looked up the description. I had heard the rhyme “leaves of three, leave it be” which is also used for Poison Oak, which I have no issues identifying. In Poison Ivy, the stalk of the middle leaf is longer than the other two, the leaves are pointed, they have hard white berry clusters, and vibrant fall color. However, the leaves can be glossy or dull, the leaf edges can be smooth or toothed, and it can be a vine or a shrub. This does not help me! With this description, almost any three-leafed plant could be Poison Ivy.
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Poison Ivy, like Poison Oak and Sumac are members of the cashew family and contain urushiol, a chemical which can cause a weepy rash. I (knock wood) have been very fortunate and have never had a Poison Oak rash. This is actually amazing, considering I have been hiking and camping in Poison Oak country since I was a kid. I don’t want to break my streak by accidentally brushing against Poison Ivy. If you have any suggestions on a good way to identify Poison Ivy, please put them in the comments!

Update: May 17, 2025
I finally saw Poison Ivy! No one could believe I had never seen it before. Someone had described the leaflets as being mitten-shaped and they totally are. It was everywhere! It was on the ground and climbing up trees. Now I finally know what it looks like!
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