Get the oil on your skin, and you’ve got somewhere between 3 minutes and an hour to wash it off before an allergic reaction sets in. That said, the leaves always come in groups of three, which is why the best thing to keep in mind about poison ivy is probably the first thing you were ever told about it: Leaves of three, let it be. They can be the size of small oysters or, especially when the vine climbs up a tree, the size of dinner plates. They can be hairless or slightly hairy, glossy or dull, toothless or saw-toothed. The leaves may be uniform or slightly notched. The problem is that the plant itself is something of a shape-shifter: It can be a trailing vine, a climbing vine, or an erect shrub. You’d think by now, after so many millennia of scratching, that outdoorsy people would have figured out how to steer clear of poison ivy. Poison Ivy Poison Ivy leaves can be notched or un-notched, toothed or toothless, shiny or dull. You can learn all about this by donning a Speedo and racing through thick underbrush. And some plants, including all 10 of the ones listed here, are well equipped to make your life miserable, or worse, if you mess with them. Even the most harmless shrub won’t go out of its way to prevent you from scratching or bleeding or, in rare cases, dying from respiratory paralysis. On the other hand, they don’t seem to mind if they do.
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