|
Poison Ivy Facts
Plant Description - Growth CharacteristicsIt lies in wait, slowly climbing up backyard trees and fences shading out essential sunlight necessary for the survival of other forms of plant life. It trails over stone and masonry where it's roots meander and penetrate deep within the earth's surface, widening cracks as they re-emerge only surfacing elsewhere. All this and more while it sneaks up on you unannounced choking out all of your favorite landscape ornamentals. Poison Ivy is ubiquitous, resourceful, and tenacious. Its vines can travel great distances, trailing above the ground, growing within your shrubbery, climbing trees, and virtually attaching itself by its rootlet hairs to everything within its reach. This slivering scourge is upon us from Newfoundland to Florida, ready to greet us at first glance with a blistering persistent 'itchy' scratchy hello that can last for up to 3 woebegone, torturous weeks. Poison Ivy is the cockroach of the plant world, able to invade and survive within the most extreme and harsh of growing conditions. It thrives in direct sunlight, deep-forested shade, muddied mosquito infested swamps, and salt laden sandy windswept beaches. Wherever you look, it stares back at you, innocently lying in wait ready to inflict its poisonous sap upon first moments touch by those poor lesser knowing and unsuspecting individual souls who dare to ventures forth by brushing too close to the plant making contact and jeopardizing their own personal margin of comfort and safety.1 - 888 - P. I. R E L I E F
What is Poison Ivy?Toxicodendron Radicans and Rhus Toxicodendron respectively, are known as Poison Ivy and Poison Oak. In actuality, neither one is really ivy or oak, but rather are both members of the Cashew family, which include mango, cashew, and pistachio. Poison Ivy can shoot vines along the ground which, if left undisturbed or untreated for several years, becomes rather woody, with vines often exceeding 8 inches and measuring up to 12 inches or more in diameter (Click For Photo) , which requires the aid of a chain-saw to cut them for their removal. Erect vines on trees and buildings can grow well over 100 feet in height (Click For Photo) , by attaching themselves with their rootlet hairs, tracing along poles, fence lines, and over and above building silhouettes. The vine affixes itself by way of an intricately dense maze consisting of fibrous rootlet hairs, which provides them with the ability to attach themselves like glue to virtually anything within their reach. This mechanism not only assures the plant's continued success, but also more importantly, assures its survival by eliminating the chances for nearby plants competing for precious air, water and sunlight. In certain instances the Poison Ivy plant has been known to establish itself and grow within the home garden, often behaving chameleon-like with its appearance, resembling a desirable, attractive, upright, bushy shrub. (Click For Photo) Its 2 to 6 inch long green leaves composed of three leaflets, recognized either by their waxy smooth shiny surfaces or toothed margins radiates out from a central axis, with one main stem shared by all 3 in common. (Click For Photo) Autumn Colors and Seeds In early to mid autumn these attractive shiny plants turn brilliant shades of bright orange, red, pink and yellow. (Click For Photo) When mature, Poison Ivy plants (those three years or older) develop small yellow greenish somewhat fragrant flowers (Click For Photo) which develop on the topside of the stem immediately beneath the leafy surface area, usually in May thru June, and exhibit tiny 1/4 inch waxy white/green berries which surmounted by sectional lines are divided evenly. While the berries (Click For Photo) make their first appearances in early June, they only first become visually obvious in mid to late summer persisting through into early winter and serve as food for the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks alike.
Toxicology Allergic ResponseThe toxicology of these innocent looking plants is extreme. Contrary to popular opinion, very few people are ever totally immune to Poison Ivy. The virulent sap found within the plant is called urishiol, a non-volatile phenolic resin that suffuses the entire plant, and can cause extreme skin reactions from the tiniest exposure. Because urishiol is non-volatile, it doesn't evaporate and can persist for years. The Poison Ivy sap is so potent that even an insect lighting upon a leaf can transfer the urishoil over to an unsuspecting human. (Click For Photo) Unfortunately, urishiol can remain active for several years, thereby infecting unsuspecting hands or fingers unknowingly placed upon a door knob handle or garden tools that were previously tainted by unknown contaminated hands. Poison Ivy is also easily transmitted from your pet's fur coat (while your pets are immune to Poison Ivy, you and your children remain at risk and can be infected by transference from touching your pet's fur.) Cleansing Yourself of the Oil
What to do...
Immediately:
If physical contact is made with any part of the Poison Ivy plant, it is imperative to wash your affected skin area immediately with COLD running water in combination with a strong detergent soap for 3 minutes or longer. Under no circumstance should you use hot water. Hot water causes the skins pores to open up allowing the presence of the undesirable Poison Ivy irritant, Urushiol, to be absorbed deep within the outer lying layer of skin. Failure to cold-water bathe your affected body parts with a strong detergent soap will likely assure that a rash will develop guaranteed to be met with severe itching and oozing blisters. The time lag between the onset of first skin contact and first rash outbreak can occur within a few short minutes, or can be delayed for several days. This delay process, however, is dependant upon each individual's own physical body and blood chemistry type.
Myth of Spreading by Scratching:
Contrary to popular belief, scratching these blisters will not spread the toxin, as the Urushiol irritant is not found within these blisters. It is important, however not to scratch these blisters since they can rupture, thereby allowing bacteria to enter into the open skin or worse still, the blood stream, causing what is known as a post-secondary infection, which may result in abscesses, enlarged glands or fever. These post-secondary infections would then require additional medical care by a trained medical professional.
|