Virginia Tech Dendrology

poison-ivy Anacardiaceae Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze symbol: TORA2
Leaf: Alternate, trifoliate, 7 to 10 inches long, leaflets are ovate and irregularly toothed, shiny green above, paler below. TOXIC.
Flower: Species is dioecious; small, yellowish green, appearing in clusters, present late spring to early summer. TOXIC.
Fruit: Greenish white, round, 1/4 inch in diameter, borne in a hanging cluster, ripe in late summer and persist through winter. TOXIC.
Twig: Slender, gray- to red-brown, sparingly pubescent or glabrous, slender aerial roots present and older growth becomes densely covered and "hairy" in appearance; buds are stalked, naked, fuzzy brown, 1/4 inch long. TOXIC.
Bark: Dark gray, densely covered in aerial roots. TOXIC.
Form: May be present as a low (6 to 18 inches), spreading "carpet" on the forest floor, as a climbing vine, or as a bush.
Looks like: poison-oak - Pacific poisonoak - skunkbush sumac - fragrant sumac

Additional Range Information: Toxicodendron radicans is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material © 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information