What Does Poison Ivy Look Like: Mnemonics to Memorize

For almost any outdoorsman or any other fan of outdoor activities, two words spell almost certain disaster for anything that involves going out of the house and enjoying nature: poison ivy. This little plant has probably been the prime cause of discomfort for outdoor enthusiasts all over the country. Of course, there is the idea of avoiding any sort of contact with it, due to the chemicals in its sap being the cause for cases of skin that becomes itchy to an allergic level (only fifteen to twenty percent are not allergic to the chemicals in poison ivy sap), but then there is the question of how to identify poison ivy, to know the answer to the question, “What does poison ivy look like?”

The first thing you should remember with identifying poison ivy, or any plant, for that matter, is to always check the leaves first. Poison ivy almost gives itself away at this stage, with its very distinctive leaf shape, one that is formed of three leaflets. There are lots of sayings regarding this characteristic; popular ones include: “Leaves of three, let it be,” “One, two, three, don’t touch me” and other puns revolving around three being the “magic number” of sorts in the leaves of poison ivy. “Side leaflets like mittens, will itch like the dickens,” though not necessarily stressing on the three leaflets found in poison ivy, is also worth mentioning because although it warns people of the leaves’ overall appearance, as poison ivy leaves look like mittens, with the central leaflet acting as the fingers in the middle, and the side leaflets acting as “thumbs”.

The second part of the plant you can check out when asking “What does poison ivy look like?” is the stem. Poison ivy stems are filled with tiny root hairs, which are most noticeable when the ivy is growing on a vertical surface, such as on a tree or on a wall. This characteristic, being the second most noticeable on a poison ivy plant, has its own share of rhyming phrases, “Hairy vine, no friend of mine” and “Raggy rope, don’t be a dope” being the most popular ones.

The third part you can check out for identification purposes are the plant’s fruits, if any. Poison ivy fruits come in the form of small, white berries which are often eaten by birds, and are one of the plant’s two methods of being propagated. Remember these two: “Berries white, danger in sight” and “Berries white, run in fright”.

Many other ways of identifying poison ivy exist out there. Read up and ask your friends if they know any, find your favorite saying, and stop asking yourself “What does poison ivy look like?”