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Toxicodendron radicans
Also called Eastern Poison Ivy, Sister Ivy, Central Poison Ivy, Climbing Poison Ivy
Poison ivy is a variable North American shrub, vine or small plant in the cashew family, recognised by its three-leaflet leaves. The key point for gardeners is that it causes an itchy allergic rash through its sap, so handle it with care and avoid it.
Poison ivy is a type of allergenic plant in the genus Toxicodendron, which is native to East Asia and North America. Formerly considered a single species, Toxicodendron radicans, poison ivies are now generally treated as a complex of three separate species: T. radicans, T. rydbergii, and T. orientale. They are variable in appearance and habit, and despite its common name, poison ivy is not an ivy (i.e., Hedera type), but rather a member of the cashew and pistachio family (Anacardiaceae).
Though T. radicans is commonly eaten by many animals and the seeds are consumed by birds, poison ivy is most often thought of as an unwelcome weed. It is well known for causing urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, an itchy, irritating, and sometimes painful rash, in most people who touch them. The rash is caused by urushiol, a clear liquid compound in the plant's sap.
Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis is the allergic reaction caused by poison ivy. In extreme cases, a reaction can progress to anaphylaxis. Around 15 to 25 percent of people have no allergic reaction to urushiol, but most people have a greater reaction with repeated or more concentrated exposure.
Over 350,000 people are affected by urushiol annually in the United States.
Pacific poison oak · Asian Lacquer Tree · Atlantic poison oak · Western poison ivy · Chinese Lacquer · Poison sumac · Poison oak
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Poison ivy by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
