The severity of the symptoms depends on how allergic you are to urushiol and the degree of exposure to the plant. Usually, the symptoms of a poison ivy rash develop 12-48 hours after you come into contact with the plant and last up to three weeks. So if you know that something has been in contact with poison ivy, clean it thoroughly to avoid future problems. Keep in mind that the oily resin can stick to objects for a long time and cause an allergic reaction after a couple of years. Inhaling the smoke from a burning poison ivy.Picking up a contaminated object – for example, your shoes.Touching any part of the plant (direct contact).You can get poison ivy rash in several ways: This oily resin is called urushiol, and it’s so sticky that it sticks to your skin, clothes, or shoes immediately. To make it easy for you to recognize poison ivy, here are some pictures.īut why is poison ivy poisonous? Well, poison ivy causes an allergic reaction due to the presence of an oily substance on its leaves, stem, and roots. The plant also blossoms and grows berries, so you have to be extra careful not to eat any of the fruit by mistake.
In autumn the poison ivy undergoes another transformation, and its leaves are bright orange/ yellow or red. When the plant is young, its leaves are red, but in summer they turn green. Its leaves come in sets of three, which is why you’ll hear people saying “Leaves of three, let them be.” Poison ivy is a plant, which you can meet as a perennial climbing vine or a shrubby bush.