Sheila Ann Moline, age 11, of Denton, Texas, for her question:
ARE POISON OAK AND POISON IVY THE SAME THING?
Poison ivy is the common name for several kinds of harmful vines or shrubs related to sumac. Poison ivy grows plentifully in almost all parts of the United States and southern Canada. Poison oak is another name for poison ivy, but is used especially for the bushy forms of that plant, rather than the more common vines.
Poison ivy grows often as vines twining on tree trunks or straggling over the ground. But these often form upright bushes if they have no support to climb upon.
Other species, particularly in the southern states and on the Pacific Coast, are more inclined to form bushes than to twine. These are the plants usually known as poison oak.
The tissues of all these plants contain a poisonous oil that is much like carbolic acid. This oil is extremely irritating to the skin. It may be brushed onto the clothing or the skins of persons coming in contact with the plants.
Many persons have been poisoned merely by taking off their shoes after walking through poison ivy. People can get poisoned from other people only if the oil remains on their skin, and this is unlikely to happen. The eruptions or welts themselves are not a source of infection to others.
Anyone who walks in woods or fields should learn to recognize poison ivy and poison oak. The leaves of both the bushy and the climbing kinds are red in early spring. Later in the spring they change to shiny green. And then they turn red or orange in the fall months.
Each leaf is made up of three leaflets more or less notched at the edges. Two of the leaflets form a pair on opposite sides of the stalk, while the third leaflet stands by itself at the tip of the leaf.
Small greenish flowers grow in bunches attached to the main stem close to the point where each leaf joins it. Later in the season, clusters of poisonous berrylike drupes form. They are a dirty yellowish white in color, with a waxy look like the berries of mistletoe.
After the oil has touched your skin, it usually takes some time for it to penetrate and do its damage. Before this happens, it would be wise for you to wash with plenty of soap and water. As a matter of fact, it is a good idea to wash the skin thoroughly several times.
If the washing didn't come soon enough to remove the poisonous oil, you'll find that the skin will redden and blister. And it will itch, too.
The reddened and blistered skin may be treated with soothing dressings of calamine lotion. Epsom salts or bicarbonate of soda may also work to sooth your irritation.
Scientists have developed a vaccine that can be injected or taken by mouth. This medication, however, is effective only if taken before exposure. Some people destroy the plants by uprooting them or by spraying them with plant killing chemicals. But these methods aren't too effective.
The best way to avoid the rash these plants give is to avoid them.