Having recently had an itchy encounter myself, I’m newly qualified to share a few trail safety tips on how to identify and treat three common, poisonous plants. Poison ivy, oak and sumac are no strangers to hikers, all of which reside in our lovely state of Florida.

We’ve all heard the famous rule “leaves of three, let it be,” and while you may feel comfortable in your ability to identify our three itchy fellows, did you know that not all of the plants play by the rules?  Some, in fact, have leaves in groups of five to thirteen and can change color throughout the seasons!  Here are some tips on identifying these tricky plants:

Poison Ivy

• Likes to grow around lakes and streams
• May be a woody ropelike vine, a trailing or freestanding shrub
• Normally leaves are in three but can range from three to nine
• Leaves are green in the summer, red in the fall
• May have yellow or green flowers and white berries

Poison Oak

• Grows as a low shrub
• Leaves are oak-like and usually cluster in threes
• May have yellow berries

Poison Sumac

• Likes to grow in boggy areas
• A rangy shrub that can reach up to 15 feet fall
• Leaves are in seven to thirteen leaflets
• May have pale yellow or cream colored berries

Wonder what it is that makes these three plants so itchy?  As it turns out they are very delicate creatures.  Stems or leaves broken by the wind or even tiny holes made by chewing insects may cause the release of urushiol.  Poison ivy, oak and sumac all come from the family of plants known as Toxidendrons which contain the irritating toxin so the reaction, treatment and prevention measures are the same.  Urishiol can remain potent for years, even in a warm and moist environment, and may spread from clothing or hand tools again and again.  If you’ve spotted poison ivy, oak or sumac on the trail you should take the following steps to avoid yourself the itch. While still outside

• Clean the exposed area with rubbing alcohol and wash with only water several times
• Then take a regular shower using soap and water, do not use soap right away as the soap will only move the urishiol to other areas of the body
• Clean affected clothes and tools with rubbing alcohol and water or wash with Tecnu.  Wash clothes by themselves so as not to expose the rest of your laundry to the oil as well

Best of luck!

Megan Eno, Program Planner, Florida Trail Association