Poison Oak

**AIT** · 05-10-2009, 12:23 PM

Anybody know anything about identifying poison oak? We have a few plants in our backyard that look like saplings. My wife recently developed a rash, and she swears those things are poison oak. I'm not sure what poison oak looks like and I can't find a good picture of it, but I did see something saying poison oak is common on the west coast, but pretty rare in Iowa.

**cyfan964** · 05-10-2009, 12:27 PM

There isn't poison oak in iowa, poison ivy maybe. Leaflets of three... let them be.

**Bader** · 05-10-2009, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by cyfan964

There isn't poison oak in iowa, poison ivy maybe. Leaflets of three... let them be.

My Dad taught me "Leaves of three let it be, leaves of four wipe some more"

**jaretac** · 05-10-2009, 01:30 PM

One thing about the leaves of three statement, poison ivy does usally have leaves of three, but it can be any odd number grouping of leaves, 3, 5, etc. The other thing, there are many other plants that have odd number grouping of leaves so just because it has three leaves does not make it poison ivy.

**cyfan964** · 05-10-2009, 01:36 PM

Exactly, however most plants that have groupings of odd leaflets are oppositely arranged, meaning the leaflets match up on either side of the stem. Poison Ivy is alternately arranged meaning the leaflets alternate up the stem. Boxelder saplings are often confused with poison ivy, but can be easily differentiated by the alternate/opposite comparison.

**BCforISU** · 05-10-2009, 02:56 PM

Just round-up the plants, better safe than sorry. I didn't know what it was when my brother bought a house in Kansas, I was wrapping the vines around my forearm and pulling it out of the ground 3 days later had blisters all over my arms, really, really sucked on vacation in the Ozarks. My brother had it on his hands!!! Not good stuff, especially in your yard!

**jaretac** · 05-10-2009, 04:42 PM

I got it on my face one year and was at it's worse for the Forth of July. Every time I've got it since, it's affected me less and less, I think I might be building a immunity

**LeSchmick** · 05-10-2009, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by jaretac

I got it on my face one year and was at it's worse for the Forth of July. Every time I've got it since, it's affected me less and less, I think I might be building a immunity

I'm immune.

**Cardinal&Gold11** · 05-10-2009, 05:03 PM

I got poison ivy all over my left leg one year, it was terrible. My whole left side of my left calf was covered, it turned really red and got super itchy, then like crusted over and was kind of blackish. Never wanna relive that again