Is this Poison Ivy? 56k warning

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:00 am

Ok I asked this in "another" forum, and all I got were replies to lick it or rub it on my genitals.

So in all seriousness. Is any of the plant material in the pictures I took here Posion Ivy?

WARNING... large pics

wire · Post by **wire** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:39 am

From looking at http://www.poison-ivy.org/ (google is wonderful) it doesn't appear to be.

Looking at it closer it appears to be garden variety wild blackberry vines. Notice the thistles on the vines...poison ivy doesn't have thistles.

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:49 am

Yea, I was there (and several other websites too of course), but just couldn't determine yes/no based on their pics... they look similar except the serrations on the edge of the leaves in my pics...

Koz · Post by **Koz** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:51 am

Well poison ivy takes on all shapes and sizes. Usually there's at least some glossiness to it, and often it has a reddish hue... but not always of course. Older plants don't have the glossiness either.

I'd say the plant on the right in the first photo definitely looks like poison ivy. As for the others, not so much, but I'm by no means an expert on the matter.

disarm · Post by **disarm** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 4:22 am

i'm not a botanist by any means, but i don't see anything there that looks like any variation of poison ivy that i've ever encountered.

nan desu · Post by **nan desu** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 4:31 am

Well, only one way to find out...

jpinard wrote:...lick it or rub it on [your] genitals.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:24 am

Definitely looks like blackberries

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:24 am

Eagle Scout checking in --

No, I don't believe that is poison ivy. Like others have said, it usually has an oily-sheen to it. I'm sure some plant-ologist will come in and set us all straight.

Are you asking because you have a rash or because you're looking to pull it out of your yard and want to be safe?

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:25 am

We've got bad poison ivy in our backyard, so I'm very familiar with it.

That doesn't look like poision ivy (the leaves look too fat). Poison ivy (at least the kind in my area) usually has long reddish vines, and will occasionally have these little red bumps on it. It does have three leaves however.

I've always followed the adage - "Leaves of three, let it be." So I wouldn't voluntarily rub that on my genitals. There are all kinds of variant "poisonous" plants like poision oak, etc. that I'm not familiar enough with to identify from a picture.

rrmorton · Post by **rrmorton** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:32 am

The serrated edges of the leaves is your main clue that this plant is safe to rub on your genitals. Poison ivy leaves have smoother edges.

noun · Post by **noun** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:06 am

Stinging nettles.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:09 am

rrmorton wrote:The serrated edges of the leaves is your main clue that this plant is safe to rub on your genitals. Poison ivy leaves have smoother edges.

This is true. While PI may have notched leaves, it won't have that serrated edge. They can however, be fat or thin, glossy or dull, red or green though, so don't let that be your deciding factor in your herb-genital activities.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:13 am

Poison ivy comes in lots of shapes and sizes (as has been said), but that looks nothing like any of the Poison ivy I'm familiar with (especially from Michigan). I can't tell you it *isn't* poison ivy (as it has the general characteristic), but were I to see some of that stuff on the ground, my gut reaction wouldn't be: stay away!

The stuff I'm mostly familiar with grows just off the dunes on Lake Michigan, and it's more teardrop shaped (sometimes with a \/\/\/ -- pair of notches -- at the tip shape). The oil on the leaves is a pretty good give away, and if you can wait until September when things cool down, the ruddy reddish color is a dead giveaway.

~Neal

Lassr · Post by **Lassr** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:15 am

I agree, it does not look like Poison Ivy looks like a blackberry leaf.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:19 am

As an aside, my wife is INSANELY sensitive to poison ivy. Last year when we were clearing out weeds she accidentally touched a single leaf and had a rash for weeks. She eventually had to get a cortizone shot in her butt (a fact that gave me much joke fodder over the coming weeks.)

I appear to be immune to the stuff however. I can go out there with no gloves, yank it up, stuff it in a trash can, get oil all over my arms and legs - nothing.

So that's about it for my superpowers.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:21 am

Poison ivy itches only people, Octopuses need three hearts

~Neal

Mr. Sparkle · Post by **Mr. Sparkle** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:27 am

What a disapointment... and here I thought we'd be talking about:

hodge313 · Post by **hodge313** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:35 am

I think that 'rub it on your genitals' is sound, sage advice--no matter what the topic is.

Remus West · Post by **Remus West** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:48 am

Poison Ivy leaves are not symetric, so look at the leaves and check for that. As rubbing it on your genitals, if it's Jamie Pressley, I am quite a willing substitute.

Remus West · Post by **Remus West** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 9:49 am

I figured I should note I'm willing to take your place, not hers

Gizah · Post by **Gizah** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:16 am

I've posted this on OO before, but I never miss an opportunity to hawk this product.

Zanfel.

This stuff gave me INSTANT relief from a really bad exposure to poison ivy. The price is quite steep for a relatively small tube, but I was so uncomfortable I would have paid double for it.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:08 pm

Tough call. The two things that I always look for are the three leaves (with the center leaf having a longer stem) and the side leaves being gloves (not always though). Sometimes a lack of consistency can be an indicator. With most plants, all of the leaves will be the same. With poison ivy, you can see a lot of variation in the sets of leaves on one plant.

Poison ivy can grow as a vine or bush, which can make identification tricky.

Some of the leaves in the pictures definitely look like poison ivy, but not all of them. Unfortunately, I don't remember what the flower looks like (though I do want to say that it's white...).

Oh, and it looks like most species of blackberry have five leaflets, not three.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:10 pm

TheMix wrote:T
Oh, and it looks like most species of blackberry have five leaflets, not three.

Blackberries

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:11 pm

Once again... Poison Ivy does not have serrated edges. They may be notched, but not serrated like that.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:15 pm

Hence my comment about most. Definitely the ones that I grew up with had five. Also, in New England the blackberries were bushes, not vines.

Regardless, I found the following at http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nat ... ora/poivy/

Poison ivy
three divided leaves center leaflet on a longer stalk white, waxy berries along the stem leaves alternate on the stem erect shrub or climbing vine

Judging from that and a couple of other pictures of the flowers, I think you (jpinard) may be okay. The flowers in the pictures you posted do not resemble poison ivy flowers.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:55 pm

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that anything you find in your back yard, you should keep away from your genitals.

Ralph-Wiggum · Post by **Ralph-Wiggum** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:03 pm

Smoove_B wrote:I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that anything you find in your back yard, you should keep away from your genitals.

What if you found Elisha Cuthbert in your back yard?

ChrisGwinn · Post by **ChrisGwinn** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 2:40 pm

Sad... Mr Sparkle beat me to it.

Anyway, I'll add yet another eagle scout's worth of opinion to the "Not poison ivy" camp. Of course, my monitor is pretty crappy.

SpaceLord · Post by **SpaceLord** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:00 pm

Mmm, blackberries.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:04 pm

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:
Smoove_B wrote:I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that anything you find in your back yard, you should keep away from your genitals.
What if you found Elisha Cuthbert in your back yard?

E-mail me immediately. I will take care of it.

killbot737 · Post by **killbot737** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 3:24 pm

Leaves of three, let it be.
Leaves of five, let it thrive.
Leaves of seven, you're in heaven.

Eat some with hot sauce. It will protect your insides. I promise.

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 4:05 pm

Smoove_B wrote:
Ralph-Wiggum wrote:
Smoove_B wrote:I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that anything you find in your back yard, you should keep away from your genitals.
What if you found Elisha Cuthbert in your back yard?
E-mail me immediately. I will take care of it.

Hehehehe! You guys had me rolling!

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 6:35 pm

Are serrated edges better for stabbing?

CeeKay · Post by **CeeKay** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 7:01 pm

stick them in your pipe and smoke it

Faldarian · Post by **Faldarian** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:09 pm

rrmorton wrote:The serrated edges of the leaves is your main clue that this plant is safe to rub on your genitals.

Not exactly.

Itchweed (not sure if there's a more scientific name) grew everywhere in the lower brush areas of the woods around where I grew up. It's not as nasty as Poison Ivy, but you sure as hell wouldn't want to rub it on your genitals. It has thinner serrated leaves and looks fairly similar to the ones in the 4th picture down.

If you get into that, it'll itch and leave an irritated rash but it won't really be painful...just annoying.

WAW · Post by **WAW** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:18 pm

Leaves of eight, use it to masturbate

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 11:16 pm

This guy knows what poison ivy looks like:

Actually the site that photo was from has a lot of good pictures, but they are clearly out to make a few bucks as well. Good photos though.

Octopus Overlords

Is this Poison Ivy? 56k warning

Is this Poison Ivy? 56k warning

Re: Is this Poison Ivy? 56k warning