# Is this poison oak? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575 "2016-09-10T22:51:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/1 "2016-09-10T22:51:14Z")
[Photo One.](https://www.dropbox.com/s/k9jmu1yvi9kyxh2/IMG_20160910_172357.jpg?dl=0) [Photo Two.](https://www.dropbox.com/s/wzqhpfn69fq0vcn/IMG_20160910_172348.jpg?dl=0) It’s growing right outside my house. I want to pull it out, but it struck me that it might be poisonous. It looks kinda like the pictures of poison oak that popped up in the Google machine. If it is poisonous, what do I do with it? Will a pair of thick gardening gloves be sufficient? Is there a way to prevent it from growing back? Either way, it’s some kind of weed, and I want to be rid of it! ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/2 "2016-09-10T23:00:02Z")
I’m not a botanist, but I’ll say NO, that is not poison oak or ivy or any of that. This is strictly based on the proverb “Leaves of three beware” or some such. There’s clearly five leaflets for each leaf and I’m almost positive that’s the only reason we can say it’s not poison oak/ivy/whatever. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/3 "2016-09-10T23:05:27Z")
It could be, but that leaf pattern isn’t quite what I’d expect with 5 leaves on a stem. Poison Oak isn’t as consistent in form as Poison Ivy. Anyway, just in case it is Poison Oak don’t touch it, not with gloves, not with anything. Spray brush killer on it. There’s nothing close by. In a couple of weeks it will be totally dead. Just let the remains rot. The brush killer will get into the root and it won’t come back. No reason to do anything different if it’s not the evil weed. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2016, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/4 "2016-09-10T23:12:17Z")
Nah. Leaves look too pointy to be poison oak. Poison oak (and oak) has a certain roundness about the tips. In a pinch, just trickle a little gasoline on it (if you don’t have weed killer handy). It’ll die, and nothing will grow in that spot for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/5 "2016-09-11T00:51:32Z")
100% - no. ETA - [File:PoisonOak wb biggerLeaves.jpg - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PoisonOak_wb_biggerLeaves.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/6 "2016-09-11T00:57:41Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > 100% - no. > > ETA - [File:PoisonOak wb biggerLeaves.jpg - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PoisonOak_wb_biggerLeaves.jpg) It’s not always red and the shape of the leaf varies. Still doesn’t look like it, but there’s no need to take a chance. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/7 "2016-09-11T02:11:46Z")
Right off, that plant fails the “leaves of three” test. Not poison oak. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/8 "2016-09-11T02:20:21Z")
Great. Guess I better get some week killer! ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/9 "2016-09-11T02:36:44Z")
Are you on the west coast now? If not, it’s not poison oak. It really doesn’t grow outside of California, Oregon and Washington in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/10 "2016-09-11T02:38:02Z")
> [@missred](#): > > Are you on the west coast now? If not, it’s not poison oak. It really doesn’t grow outside of California, Oregon and Washington in the US. Oh. Nope, I’m in Michigan. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/11 "2016-09-11T03:36:52Z")
> [@missred](#): > > Are you on the west coast now? If not, it’s not poison oak. It really doesn’t grow outside of California, Oregon and Washington in the US. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Oh. Nope, I’m in Michigan. :smack: Pacific Poison Oak only grows in the Western USA … Parts East have two fairly common species, Poison Ivy is the vine type and the other grows like Pacific Poison Oak. This other is sometimes called Poison Oak, just depends on local custom. All these have three distinct leaves per stem … or more correctly three leaflets per petiolule … The main point here is that the pictures shows leaves _clearly_ different from any poisonous plant from this family. It’s not a real oak either, if I was a guessing kind of person (which I’m not), then I would guess something in the holly family. ---
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/12 "2016-09-11T05:30:17Z")
It reminds me of [Boxelder](http://www.murraytrees.org/images/trees/SecA/A10_Box%20Elder_Summer_C.JPG). ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/13 "2016-09-11T17:15:19Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > It’s not always red and the shape of the leaf varies. Still doesn’t look like it, but there’s no need to take a chance. I’ve seen almost every variety of PO and ivy. The plant in the OP is not poisonous. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/14 "2016-09-11T17:22:57Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > I’ve seen almost every variety of PO and ivy. The plant in the OP is not poisonous. I don’t think it is either, I’m just saying the shape and color of the leaf alone is not reliable to rule out poison ivy and oak. And it’s better safe to be sorry. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/15 "2016-09-11T18:09:18Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t think it is either, I’m just saying the shape and color of the leaf alone is not reliable to rule out poison ivy and oak. And it’s better safe to be sorry. Actually, the shape of the leaf is reliable in this case, and I’d like to withdraw my speculation of the OP’s plant in the holly family. In some groups of plants the shape of the leaf is distinct, and this fact is used to actually create the group. The three leaves of these poisonous plant all connect together at a single point at the end of the stem. In the OP’s first picture, this is clearly not the case, therefore we can conclude this plant is not part of the group of poisonous plants where the three leaves meet at one point on the stem. Among the maples, this is not the case. The shape of the typical sugar maple leaf is quite different from other maples. The clefts between the lobes can reach all the way down to the central vein, and even further where the central vein takes on stem characteristics, and again further some of the side veins will take on stem characteristics. I believe this is the case with the OP’s first picture, this is just one leaf morphologically with five separate leaflets. … like a box elder **newme** pointed out. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/16 "2016-09-11T18:15:06Z")
Roundup is your friend. It will kill the roots. Wait a week or two before removing the dead plant. That’s not poison oak. Handy chart [https://goo.gl/images/S7oa86](https://goo.gl/images/S7oa86) ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2016, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/17 "2016-09-11T20:44:24Z")
Looks like Virginia creeper. ---
**Author:** ![Ionizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5daacb/32.png) [@Ionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ionizer)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-poison-oak/765575/18 "2016-09-13T01:20:19Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > Looks like Virginia creeper. That is what I was gonna guess without even seeing the pics, but pretty sure its not. Here’s a [link to images](https://www.google.com/search?q=virginia+creeper+leaf&safe=off&biw=819&bih=489&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiVnpy-kYvPAhUByj4KHT3PCu8Q_AUIBigB) of VC leaves, and note that there arae generally 5 leaves per petiole (or stem, forget proper termage atm). VC also has lots of little tendrils along its length it uses to cling, firmly(!) to most anything as it climbs. Prestty characteristic for VC, fwiw. However, if it IS creeper, some folks [do have mild allergic response/sensitivity](http://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=11118). My wife gets hives/bumps where even just a leaf simply touches her skin ☹