General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Vine
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Partial Shade to Full Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 4a -34.4 °C (-30 °F) to -31.7 °C (-25 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 10b
Plant Height: 1 to 3 feet (30-90 cm)
Plant Spread: 3 to 6 feet (.9-18 m)
Leaves: Deciduous
Fruit: Edible to birds
Uses: Will Naturalize
Toxicity: Leaves are poisonous
Roots are poisonous
Fruit is poisonous
Other: All parts of plant contain urushiol oil, a toxic oil
Propagation: Seeds: Self fertile
Pollinators: Bees

Image
Common names
  • Poison Ivy
  • Eastern Poison Ivy
  • Three-Leaved Ivy
  • Marlweed
  • Mercury
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Toxicodendron radicans
  • Synonym: Rhus radicans

Photo Gallery
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2013-01-03
white fruit (drupes)
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2010-07-11
vine climbing tree
Location: In Wooded Area Of State Park
Date: October 11, 2011
Leaves are attractive in autumn.
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: May 2, 2022
Poison Ivy #23; RAB p.676, 110-1-2; LHB p. 611, 102-1-1, "Greek f
Location: Georgia, USA
Date: February 10, 2022
The same poison ivy plant, 30+ feet long and 4+ inches thick. Gre
Location: In my Mom's garden, Falls Church, VA
Date: 2017-06-27
Young plant
Location: Northeastern, Texas
Date: 2017-11-25
growing up an oak tree
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: April 24, 2023
Poison Ivy #23 (Leaves in 3 leave it be!); RAB p.676, 110-1-2; LH
Location: Georgia, USA
Date: February 10, 2022
Part of an enormous poison ivy vine (30+ feet long, 4+ inches thi
Location: Prairie Restoration at Secor Metro Park, Toledo, Ohio
Date: 2012-07-09
Whatever produced these disfiguring eruptions, I assume it's not
Location: Long Island, NY 
Date: 2013-09-21
Location: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida   
Date: 2014-03-01
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: June 24, 2022
Poison Ivy #23; RAB p.676, 110-1-2; LHB p. 611, 102-1-1, "Greek f
Location: Opp, AL  Z8b
Date: 2021-09-01
Location: Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Date: 2013-01-03
vine bare in winter
Location: Fairfax, Virginia (Outdoors)
:(. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Location: SE Michigan
Date: 2018-08-23
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA, Zone 6b
Date: 5/11/19
A very pretty plant, but don't be fooled. I think it is better to
Location: Prairie Restoration at Secor Metro Park, Toledo, Ohio
Date: 2012-07-09
While I wasn't sorry to see a poison ivy plant afflicted in this

Date: 2021-09-26
variegated!??!?!?!?!?
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2012-03-16
Location: Southern Pines, NC (Reservoir Park)
Date: June 23, 2022
Poison Ivy #23; RAB p.676, 110-1-2; LHB p. 611, 102-1-1, "Greek f
Location: Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy) on tree trunk, Spotted Salamander Trail
Photo courtesy of: Tom Potterfield
Location: Central Pennsylvania
Date: 2018-06-13
Location: Tarlton
Date: 2018-05-27
Location: Aberdeen, NC
Date: September 23, 2021
Poison Ivy #23; RAB p.676, 110-1-2; LHB p. 611, 102-1-1, "Greek f
Location: Fairfax, VA | September 2022
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA, Zone 6b
Date: 5/11/19
Leaves of three, let them be!
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA, Zone 6b
Date: 5/11/19
Leaves of three, let them be!
Uploaded by robertduval14
Location: Long Island, NY 
Date: 2013-09-21
Location: Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Date: 2014-05-27
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: May 2, 2022
Poison Ivy #23; RAB p.676, 110-1-2; LHB p. 611, 102-1-1, "Greek f
Location: Central Pennsylvania
Date: 2014-05-16

photo credit: Invertzoo

photo credit: Bob Peterson
Location: Central Pennsylvania
Date: 2014-05-16

photo credit: Melissa MB Wilkins
Location: Central Pennsylvania
Date: 2018-06-13
Location: Tarlton
Date: 2018-05-27

Date: 2009-12-31
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: May 16, 2022
Poison Ivy #23; RAB p.676, 110-1-2; LHB p. 611, 102-1-1, "Greek f
Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2013-09-30
My Yard, since eradicated.
Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2013-09-30
My Yard, since eradicated.
Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2013-09-30
My Yard, since eradicated.
Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2013-09-30
My Yard, since eradicated.
Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2013-09-30
My Yard, since eradicated.
Location: Opp, AL  Z8b
Date: 2021-06-18
Location: Opp, AL  Z8b
Date: 2021-06-18
Location: Aberdeen, NC Pages Lake park
Date: June 19, 2022
Poison Ivy #23; RAB p.676, 110-1-2; LHB p. 611, 102-1-1, "Greek f
Uploaded by keithp2012
Uploaded by keithp2012
Location: Fairfax, Virginia (April 2022)
Date: 2022-04-30
Location: Marianna, Florida panhandle
Date: 2017-05-09
Location: Hollis, New Hampshire
Date: August 11, 2013
Location: Skaneateles Conservation Area
photo credit: R. A. Nonenmacher
Location: Skaneateles Conservation Area
photo credit: R. A. Nonenmacher
Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: 2012-03-16
Seeds on a poison ivy. Not what I wanted to see!
Location: Houston, TX
Date: 2008-03-19
At the Mercer Arboretum
This plant is tagged in:
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Comments:
  • Posted by Newyorkrita (North Shore, Long Island, NY ) on Sep 21, 2013 10:29 AM concerning plant:
    Leaves of three, leave it be. Poison Ivy is not a plant any of us want to see growing in our gardens. Birds seems to spread the seeds, so I do end up with some young poison ivy plants each summer. Be sure to yank them out while small.
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on Oct 27, 2018 7:17 PM concerning plant:
    Eastern Poison-Ivy is a common woody vine (liana) with a large range in eastern North America. It can be a groundcover vine, a low semi-bush, or it can be a climbing vine to 150 feet long up trees and structures. It climbs by aerial rootlets that form a hair-like mass along the stems, like Euonymus. It has alternate, compound leaves about 6 to 14 inches long of three leaflets. The foliage gets a fantastic red or orange fall color. From the tiny, inconspicuous flowers form small white fruits, rounded drupes about 1/5 inch in diameter that are eaten by birds and spread around a lot. All parts of the plant contain the irritant oil that causes red rashes on skin. One must immediately wash off that oil if exposed with soaps or Tecnu solution. I did not get hit by this plant every year and as much back in the Midwest versus the Mid-Atlantic Region. I have to watch out for small, young plants among the weeds or ornamental plants in my Pennsylvania yard, as my bird friends deposit the seeds each year. I usually get the rash on my forearms and the rash usually affects me for about 2 weeks.
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