eastern poison ivy
Family
AnacardiaceaeScientific Name
Toxicodendron radicans
Other Common Names:
poison ivy
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Rhus verrucosa
Rhus radicans
Habit
Its stems are slender, from gray to red-brown, sparingly pubescent or glabrous, slender aerial roots present and older growth becomes densely covered and hairy in appearance; buds are stalked, naked, fuzzy brown, 1/4 inch long.
Leaves
The leaves are toxic and have 3 leaflets, 7 to 10 inches long. These leaflets are ovate and irregularly toothed, shiny green above, and paler below.
Identifying Characteristics
Poison Ivy is recognized by its 3-parted leaves. It also stands out in the fall, when the leaves turn brilliant shades of red and orange.
Flower Seed Head
Small and yellowish-green. It appears in clusters, present late spring to early summer.
Seed Fruit
Greenish white, round, 1/4 inch in diameter, borne in a hanging cluster, ripe in late summer and persist through winter.
Where Found
May be present as a low (6 to 18 inches), spreading on the forest floor, as a climbing vine, or as a bush.
Growth Habit
vine
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
pencil
Dominant Flower Color
Varies:
white,
yellow,
orange,
green
Flower Symmetry
radial symmetery
Leaf Hairs
Varies:
no hairs,
has hairs
Leaf Shape
oval
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Margin
Varies:
entire,
serrated
Leaf Structure
Varies:
palmate,
trifoliate
Leaf Stalk
shorter than leaf
Stem Hairs
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
Varies:
fibrous,
taproot,
rhizomes present
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Vine