Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Poion Oak, Ivy and Sumac

So *scratch* I wish *slather on oatmeal lotion* that *scratch itch scratch* I had paid more attention to the plants *smooths on calamine lotion* than picking up *itch scratch itch* the litter  in the woods today.

No good deed goes unpunished.


Poison oak has leaves that look like oak leaves, usually with three leaflets but sometimes up to seven leaflets per leaf group. It grows as a vine or a shrub. Poison oak is more common in the western United States, but it is also found in the eastern United States and, rarely, in the Midwest.

Poison sumac has 7 to 13 leaflets per leaf stem. The leaves have smooth edges and pointed tips. Poison sumac grows as a shrub or small tree. It is found in wooded, swampy areas, such as Florida and parts of other southeastern states, and in wet, wooded areas in the northern United States.

Poison ivy usually has three broad, spoon-shaped leaves or leaflets ("Leaves of three? Let it be!"), but it can have more. It may grow as a climbing or low, spreading vine that sprawls through grass (more common in the eastern United States) or as a shrub (more common in the northern United States, Canada, and the Great Lakes region).

2 comments:

  1. I can never remember the difference. I haven't been affected by poison ivy even though I was standing right in it, but that was probably dumb luck.

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  2. Buy "Ivy Dry", it really works !

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