Poison Oak
Toxicodendron pubescens
A low, fuzzy-leaved shrub with the same rash-causing oil as poison ivy. Less common in the Triangle than poison ivy.
A low, fuzzy-leaved shrub with the same rash-causing oil as poison ivy. Less common in the Triangle than poison ivy.
A small upright shrub, usually under about three feet, that does not climb. Each leaf has three leaflets with rounded lobes like a small oak leaf, and the leaves feel fuzzy or velvety, especially underneath. Many plants people call poison oak around here are actually poison ivy with lobed leaves.
Often mistaken for: Poison ivy with lobed leaves, or young oak seedlings
Leaves are out spring through fall, and like poison ivy, the oil is in the plant all year.
Dry, sandy or rocky spots, pine woods and sunny woods edges.
A fast native vine with five leaflets that climbs trees, fences and houses. Often mistaken for poison ivy.
"Leaves of three, let it be." The vine behind most itchy rashes in the Triangle, and it can grow as a groundcover, shrub or climbing vine.
A shiny, round-leafed weed that thrives in soggy soil and often signals overwatering or poor drainage.
A summer weed grass with a fuzzy, bottle-brush seedhead—common in thin or disturbed lawn areas.