Poison ivy
Toxicodendron radicans
source: http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/pictures.html
Common names
Poison Sumac
Poison Oak
Identification
broad, reddish leaves
Distribution
Virginia
Nearly all of Virginia
source: http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/
USA
All of northeast and much of the midwest.
source: http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/
Cool Facts
-Poison ivy is found predominantly throughout the eastern and Midwestern US
-In Virginia it is very pervasive
-First published records of poison ivy in North America date back to the 1600s
-Urushiol is the oil that causes the rash and itching associated with poison ivy
-Rubbing the affected areas won't spread poison ivy to other parts of your body or to anyone. The rash is spread when the urushiol oil has been left on your hands
-You don't have to come into direct contact with poison ivy to become affected by the urushiol oil, it can become airborne in fires and when stirred up during raking, lawn mowing etc.
source: http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/
source: http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/fastfacts.html
references:
http://plants.usda.gov/cgi_bin/ USDA, NRCS. 2004. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.