![]() ![]() Virginia creeper often growing right beside poison ivy. Look at a mature section of vine for a positive identification. Young leaves at the growing tip of the vine may have only three leaflets. ![]() If leaflets of three are to be let be, then let leaflets of five thrive! Virginia creeper ( Parthenocissus quinquefolia), a member of the grape family, has five leaflets palmately arranged on a single leaf. So, avoid a close encounter of the worst kind by learning to distinguish it from non-toxic look-alikes. The bare vine is just as caustic in winter as the leaves are in spring and summer. During winter months, when leaves are long gone, adventitious roots give the poison ivy vine a hairy appearance. Three leaflets make up one leaf, and the leaves are alternately arranged along the vine. We’ve all heard the mantra “leaves of three, let it be.” Those leaves are actually leaflets. Tiny white flowers are visible now and will give way to white berries. It’s a woody vine that either sprawls over the ground or winds up a tree trunk. Poison ivy ( Toxicodendron radicans) is a member of the cashew family. Make sure that itch isn’t coming from poison ivy. While the weather is nice, we all have the itch to get out in our gardens. ![]()
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