Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Poison Ivy |
Poison IvyNoun1. Dermatitis resulting from contact with the poison ivy plant. 2. Climbing plant common in eastern and central United States with ternate leaves and greenish flowers followed by white berries; yields an irritating oil that causes a rash on contact. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Poison Ivy has several meanings; did you mean
- Poison ivy - the plant
- Poison Ivy (Batman) - Batman villain
- Poison Ivy (The Cramps) - Singer from The Cramps
- "Poison Ivy" - the song by the Coasters
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Poison Ivy."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
This article deals with the plant Poison ivy. For various people and things called Poison Ivy, see Poison Ivy.Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans), in the family Anacardiaceae, is a woody vine that is well-known for its ability to produce urushiol, a skin irritant which for most people will cause an agonizing, itching rash.
Poison ivy 
Larger ImageScientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Sapindales Family: Anacardiaceae Genus: Toxicodendron Species: radicans Binomial name Toxicodendron radicans Poison ivy grows vigorously throughout much of North America, but particularly in the American Midwest. It can grow as a shrub up to about four feet tall, or as a groundcover four to ten inches high, or as a climbing vine on any and every support. Older vines on substantial supports send out lateral branches that may at first be mistaken for tree limbs.
Poison ivy is apparently far more common now than when the Europeans first entered North America, because it has profited immensely from the "edge effect", enabling it to form lush colonies in such places.
How to recognize poison ivy
The leaves are compound with three leaflets, giving rise to the doggerel, "Leaflets three, let it be." The berries (actually drupes) are a grayish-white color and are a favorite winter food of some birds.
Poison ivy looks like ivy. Each tendril of ivy ends in three leaves which are almond shaped. Color ranges from light green (usually the younger leaves) to dark green (mature leaves). Leaves can be as long as 10 or 12 inches long, but are usually 4-6 inches long when they are mature. Each leaf has a FEW teeth along its edge, and the leaf surface is SMOOTH. To compare, blackberry and raspberry leaves also come in threes, but they have MANY teeth along the leaf edge, and the top surface of their leaves are very wrinkled where the veins are. The stem and vine are smooth, brown and woody, while blackberry stems are green with thorns.
Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, vine can look like poison ivy. The younger leaves can come in groups of three but have a few more serrations along the leaf edge, and the leaf surface is somewhat wrinkled. Virginia creeper and poison ivy very often grow together, even on the same tree.
Poison oak leaves also come in threes on the end of a stem, but each leaf is shaped somewhat like an oak leaf.
Poison ivy likes shady areas with only a little sun. They tend to climb the trunks of trees, and can spread rapidly along the ground.
If the poison ivy is growing up a tree look at the fine. It will be smooth with no ladder like roots clinging to the tree. (Some sources report that poison ivy does have these ladder like roots.)
Beware of dead poison ivy: it still has plenty of urushiol, and will give the same effect. Compare the thick vines of grape: no rootlets visible, to the vines of poison ivy: so many rootlets that the stem going up a tree looks furry.
Effects
The skin rash, featuring fluid-filled blisters and reddened areas that itch intensely, is caused by an irritating oil, urushiol. Urushiol binds to skin cell walls, changing their configuration, so that the body's immune system no longer recognizes these cells as belonging to the body and attacks them as foreign. Some people are susceptible to the rash, and others aren't, but reactions can change during a person's lifetime. Someone who was formerly not subject to it may become very sensitive, and vice versa.
Normally, it takes about twenty-four hours for the rash to first appear, though it may worsen during the next few days and may appear to spread, when in fact what is happening is that areas that received a lesser dose are latently reacting. The rash takes one to two weeks to run its course, but normally does not leave scars. Severe cases will have small (1-2mm) white fluid-filled blisters on the skin.
Treatment
When a person has been in contact with poison ivy, there are several measures that may be taken to prevent or lessen a rash. Zanfel and Tecnu are commercial preparations designed to 'unlock' urishiol from the skin. If applied within 20 minutes of exposure to poison ivy, these may be effective in completely preventing an outbreak. Zanfel, the more expensive of the two by far, is said to be effective at any stage of a poison ivy outbreak.
One traditional remedy is to find plants of jewelweed, Impatiens species, and to take the whole plant, crush it into a ball, and vigorously rub it into the exposed area. Or,crush some jewelweed stems in a container, and use a cotton ball to soak up the juice. Spread it on the rash as soon as possible.
An unfortunate story, often repeated, is that "Wherever poison ivy is found, jewelweed grows close by." This is completely untrue; poison ivy grows in a wide variety of habitats, while jewelweed is restricted to moist bottomlands and valleys with rich soil. The reverse is true — wherever jewelweed is found, poison ivy is usually close by. Jewelweed grows in sunny wet areas, like ditches on the roadside. The 1 cm (1/2 inch) long flowers are shaped like a shoe. Some plants have orange flowers with dark spots. Some plants have plain yellow flowers.
Another method is to take mud, preferably clay mud, and vigorously rub it in. Affected people can also use either laundry detergents or strong soap to scrub the area before the rash appears.
Urishiol is an oil and is not washed off by plain water. People have had success in lessening the rash by wiping the area clean with alcohol, or mild soap, in order to break down the oil. However, laundry detergent or Fels-Naphtha soap work much better, but vigorous rubbing is necessary. If you are desperate, you could also try wiping the area with other solvents, like acetone (nail polish remover). Some article advise against this because it will deprive your skin of moisturizers to protect you from the oil. However, the oil is obviously having an effect on your skin, and you can always put lotion on the area later.
One treatment is steroids, as a shot or pills, to control the itching. Another treatment is calamine lotion over the affected area, apply as needed. Other topical treatments include: liquid Benedryl or any other anti-itch cream/oil. A bath with baking soda also helps some people. Soak in a warm (not hot) bath for 30 minutes. Using a hot bath would cause one's pores to open and let more urushiol attack the skin.
Prevention
Preventing exposure to poison ivy involves ways of preventing the oil from getting on the skin. - Wear long clothing, avoid any plants that look like poison ivy. - If you must wear short clothing, put thick lotion on areas that may be exposed to poison ivy, like the legs. A suntan oil may work even better. - If you handle tools that have touched it, wear gloves, then wipe the tools with alcohol immediately after using them, or throw them away.
Killing the poison ivy plant
Poison ivy is EXTREMELY hardy and very resistant to poisons. Some herbicides will not destroy the roots, allowing the plant to grow back the following year. Roundup and other grass killers do not affect poison ivy. Some people recommend using a brush killer.
You can also physically pull up all the vines and roots but you must wear gloves and pants and a long sleeve shirt. DO NOT BURN poison ivy. The smoke particles carry the irritant and allow it to be inhaled; people that are extremely sensitive to poison ivy could die. Wrap the plants in a good garbage bag and bury them or dispose of them in a landfill.
Another solution is mixing 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart of water and put in a spray bottle. Spray the leaves of the poison ivy with this solution. NOTE: this will possibly kill any surrounding plant life if it gets a significant amount of salt water on it.
Yet another solution which has worked is sprinkling Borax on the leaves. It will take about 3 weeks for the leaves to die back. It may be necessary to repeat this treatment for more than one growing season.
See also:
- Toxicodendron
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Poison ivy."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Poison Ivy is a fictional character, one of the many villains faced by Batman in the DC Comics series.Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, a botanist from Seattle, was once a very intelligent scientist who knew just about everything about plants. That is, until a man named Jason Woodrue (Floronic Man) conducted some experiments upon her. The experiments placed toxins in her blood stream that make her touch deadly and allow her to be immune to all poisons, viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Thus, she became Poison Ivy.
Poison Ivy is a very attractive red-headed woman who is known to be able to seduce men and women alike with useful plant toxins. She specialized in hybrids and can create the most potently powerful toxins in Gotham.
She has been known to carry a cross-bow and a vine whip which she also has used as a lasso. At times, the vine has had thorns on it. She also occasionally uses hand thrown and blowpipe launched poisoned darts.
She also has been friends with Harley Quinn, the current girlfriend of The Joker.
In Batman: The Animated Series and spin-offs, Poison Ivy was played by Diane Pershing. Uma Thurman played Poison Ivy in the film Batman and Robin.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Poison Ivy (Batman)."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
This article deals with a member of punk rock band, The Cramps. For the article on the plant see Poison ivy .For the article on the Batman villain, see Poison Ivy (Batman) .
Poison Ivy is the stage name of Kristy Wallace, singer guitarist with punk rock band The Cramps. The band was formed when Lux Interior and Poison Ivy met during a college course on art and shamanism.
The name originated in a dream and was initially "Poison Ivy Rorschach", the Rorschach referring to the Rorschach ink-blot test, however over the years it has been contracted to plain and simple "Poison Ivy". Her stage persona is best defined by as being the bad-girl vixen from next door; this is underlined by the sexually explicit cover-art which she has frequently posed for the band's albums.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Poison Ivy (The Cramps)."
Synonyms: Poison IvySynonyms: markweed (n), poison mercury (n), poison oak (n). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Poison Ivy |
| English words defined with "poison ivy": Anacardiaceae ♦ contact dermatitis ♦ family Anacardiaceae ♦ herb of grace ♦ Poison oak ♦ rue, Ruta graveolens ♦ sumac family. (references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | I remember in one flower shop there was a whole wall covered with poison ivy and people came from miles around to look at that wall and they stayed to buy. (The Little Shop of Horrors; writing credit: Charles B. Griffith) | |
Lyrics | Talkin' jivey, poison ivy (Hair Of The Dog; performing artist: Nazareth) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Poison Ivy Picnic (1953) The Strange Case of Poison Ivy (1933) Poison Ivy (1985) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Leaves in threes characterize poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans. This plant is common in the eastern United States. Credit: CDC. |  | Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Beach grass, poison ivy, rosy mucosa, and cat-tails. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). |
 | Poison Ivy next to Madison River. Credit: Merv Coleman. | ||
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "poison ivy"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Blackfoot | saa'kssoyaa'tsis. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | oisonpay ivyay.(various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | Aphis hederae, Doralis hederae, Glechoma hederacea, Hedera. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"Poison Ivy" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: poision ivy, posion ivy. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "i-i-n-o-o-p-s-v-y" | |
-3 letters: poison, snoopy, spoony, vision. | |
-4 letters: noisy, opsin, pions, poons, pyins, snoop, spiny, spoon, vinos, yonis. | |
-5 letters: ions, nips, nisi, nosy, oops, pins, piny, pion, piso, pois, pons, pony, poon, posy, pyin, snip, soon, spin, spiv, vino, viny, yins, yips, yoni. | |
| Words containing the letters "i-i-n-o-o-p-s-v-y" | |
+3 letters: provisionary. | |
+4 letters: provisionally. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Expressions: Internet | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Translations: Ancient 11. Derivations 12. Anagrams | 13. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
