Western Poison Ivy-Toxicodendron rydbergii

Just seeing this plant makes me itch. It's western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii), just as toxic as eastern poison ivy which I've had the misfortune of coming in close contact with several times. Toxicodendron is Greek for poison tree. I always learned the saying "Leaves of Three, Let them Be" to warn me away from poison ivy. It grows in moist places, yep, those kind of places that you want to take a rest break in after hiking in the hot desert.


The flowers are small and white. Later white berries appear. The western poison ivy doesn't grow as a vine like the eastern species, but stays as a shrub or subshrub. It's often only a foot or two high, but can grow up to ten feet high. In addition to growing in western North America, it's also found in the Midwest and eastern states and in several Canadian provinces.

This is one plant worth knowing. Of course, once you come in contact with it, you might not forget it for awhile, as the oils can cause itchy rashes that last a week or more.

For more information about western poison ivy, click here.