Summertime means more time outside enjoying nature – and a greater chance of exposure to poisonous plants. Poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac produce an oil that almost everyone is allergic to. Urushiol is an irritating toxin that causes an allergic reaction in the form of an itchy, red rash often accompanied by blisters, bumps, and/or swelling.
Knowing how to identify these poisonous plants can help you avoid them, but sometimes contact is still made. That’s why it’s important to know how to treat allergic reactions to poison ivy, oak, and sumac.
What’s the difference between these poisonous plants?
Although the allergic reactions they produce are similar, these plants look different. Knowing their distinctions can help you spot (and avoid) them.
Poison Ivy
Poison ivy has three shiny leaflets with jagged edges that come to a point. The glossy leaves change color every season – red in the spring, green in the summer, and orange/red in the fall. It can also have white berries.
Poison ivy looks different depending on the region. It grows in a vine throughout the South, Midwest, and East Coast but looks like a woody shrub in the North.
Poison Oak
