Other Rash Inducing Plants

Kathy Imbriani June 10, 2008

While poison ivy claims the spotlight when it comes to itch-causing plants, there are others lurking in the underbrush to assail the unwary.

Poison oak is most often found in the western and southeastern United States. The western version, or Toxicodendron diversilobum, is found only on the Pacific Coast, ranging from southern Canada to Baja California, under 4000 feet elevation, and grows as a shrub or a vine. However, in the east, Toxicodendron pubescens or Rhus toxicarium, grows mostly in sandy soils in eastern parts of the United States (a personal favorite from my childhood). With lobed leaflets in threes, this crafty little plant closely resembles young oak seedlings and is often mistaken as such by those tramping through the woods. The undersides of its leaves are lighter green than the surface and are covered with fine hair. It produces white berries, also sometimes hairy. The source of irritation for this plant is also urushiol.

Poison sumac, or Toxicodendron vernix, grows exclusively in very wet or flooded soils, usually in swamps and peat bogs, in the eastern United States and Canada. In the US, it grows as far west as southern Idaho. It is considered by botanists to be the most toxic plant species in the United States, based on its ability to cause urushiol-induced contact dermatitis. This plant grows as a small tree or shrub, with compound leaves and leaflets. The stems from which the leaflets grow are always red and the plant produces small white or grey berries, differentiating it from other sumacs which produce red berries.

Another plant that causes an allergic reaction in some (me included) is the Cow Itch vine, or Campsis radicans. Sometimes called Trumpet Creeper, this vine has bright green compound leaves and produces an attractive orange, trumpet shaped flower that hummingbirds love. The alternate name of cow itch, tweaks one’s imagination and suggests a sordid past, does it not? Although often used as an ornamental along fences and on arbors, this plant is also a weed and can be considered invasive. According to research, the allergic reaction handling this plant causes is nothing compared to poison ivy, but I, for one, am extremely sensitive to this plant and leave it be if I encounter it.

The terrible three are poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac, but keep a close eye out for cow itch, also. Experts estimate that three out of four people are sensitive to at least some of the plants mentioned. Blocking compounds such as Ivy Block will work with poison oak and sumac as well as with poison ivy and cow itch. Herbal remedies abound and I’ve tried them all, but Ivy Dry works the best for me, drying up the blisters in a few days.

For help with identification of these culprits, check out http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/pictures.html

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