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Are either of these poisonous?

DCF-Z6A
3 years ago

Two separate plants here. Something got me recently but I'm having a hard time differentiating between what may be a general weed I can safely remove and whatever poisonous little sucker got me. I've got pics from the web of poison ivy, oak and sumac as reference but I don't see anything in my yard that matches up, thus bothering you fine folks. Thank you for your help!

Comments (21)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    3 years ago

    second reminds me of buckthorn


    https://duckduckgo.com/?q=buckthorn+leaves&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images


    first reminds me of mulberry ....


    https://duckduckgo.com/?q=mulberry+leaves&t=ffcm&iax=images&ia=images


    both are guesses .. and both can be seeding nightmares ...


    oh.. the mulberry might have yellow roots when dug up ...


    i dont know about poisonous ... links above might help with that ... if i guessed right


    ken

  • DCF-Z6A
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @lala for 25 years short gloves served me. Whether for the lack of poisonous plant or sheer luck, I've never encountered anything in my yard and thus didn't think to wear long gloves. Literally, you live and learn! I will need to buy 'risk weeding' clothes for those sessions in areas where I might encounter something problematic. In the meantime, though - and regardless - I'm still trying to narrow down what the heck got me so I know it next time and so I can attempt to eradicate it.

  • Embothrium
    3 years ago

    First is a crabapple

  • Lala
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Hope you can figure it out! Here are 36 plants that can irritate your skin. Who knew there were so many?

    https://www.thespruce.com/plants-that-cause-skin-irritations-4148484

  • docmom_gw
    3 years ago

    I am both horribly allergic to poison ivy and have very easily sunburned skin. So, I have resigned myself to keeping nearly all of my skin covered whenever I am in the garden. It saves me having to keep track of every potentially irritating plant. It does detract from some of the pleasure of gardening, but I’ve done it for 30+ years. You can purchase specialized clothing with vented armpits, etc. Even with heavy wear and tear, mine have lasted me for decades. Good luck.

    Martha

  • DCF-Z6A
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thanks Martha. I'm sorry you have to deal with that but it sounds like you haven't let it beat you!

  • DCF-Z6A
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    A few more possibilities for any kind souls out there willing to look them over. I've watched videos, looked at a bunch of sites viewing pics and drawings... but still can't match up anything tti what's in my yard. (@lala thank you for the list!)

  • Jay 6a Chicago
    3 years ago

    Could you do 1 plant for thread?It gets confusing when there ate multiple plants. The first plant in your last series of photos is poison ivy.

  • DCF-Z6A
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    So, the one with leaves outlined in red? (Sorry for the confusion, Jay! I'm not trying to identify each plant - otherwise, yes I'd do a thread for each. I'm just trying to determine which might be poisonous. Thank you!)

  • bengz6westmd
    3 years ago

    First pic might be hawthorn.

  • Smivies (Ontario - 5b)
    3 years ago

    The leaves circled in red are poison ivy. I'd say that's your leading culprit right now.


    Very first pic that has been identified as hawthorn or crabapple looks a lot like ninebark to me.

  • Lala
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I agree. It looks like the leaves circled in red are poison ivy.

  • DCF-Z6A
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you so much everyone! I've ordered those SeeLeaf wipes to double check this plant before I attempt to get it under control. (And a very long pair of gloves!)

  • sandy (z5b nys)
    3 years ago

    Long sleeves are a good idea too. Poison ivy is tricky. I’m convinced that it camouflages itself among the plants it’s growing into. I’ve noticed lots of variation in leaf color in the summer ranging from light to deep green depending on where it’s growing. I removed a ton of poison from my yard and found that a good approach is to weed poison ivy separately from your other weeding. I’d go poison ivy hunts. I used gloves and plastic grocery bags. Cover your gloved weeding hand with the bag like a mitten. Pull up as much PI as you can safely (i.e., without it touching you) then pull the bag over your hand as you continue to grasp the PI. Then discard the grocery bag into a disposal bag that you bring along for that purpose. I usually save empty mulch and grass seed bags for the disposal bag since they’re a convenient size. Then toss in the trash. Bear in mind that PI is a vine, so don’t tug too vigorously because you don’t want that vine whipping around.

    When you’re done, or any time you think you may have had contact with poison ivy, wash the area with COOL water for about two minutes to remove urushiol, the oily resin produced by the leaves and stem of the plant that causes the allergic reaction. I’ve read that there’s about a 2 hour window to remove the urushiol, but that depends on how sensitive you are. I’ve definitely had success washing it off but I’ve never knowingly waited more than a few minutes. I use Tecnu poison ivy cleanser, but any soap for removing oils from the skin should work. I have friends who are very sensitive to PI so I have Honeywell Ivyx precontact skin barrier for when they help out. Seems to work.

    Good luck!

  • DCF-Z6A
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you Sandy! Very helpful info! I will definitely use your method - makes a ton of sense. I'm a little paranoid now, though, wondering if neighboring plants will have urushiol on them too and therefore be an additional exposure risk. Or if, in the process of removing the vine, I will release the oil on to neighboring plants and then innocently come back later and get exposed. I guess I just can't ever mindlessly weed that area again.

  • DCF-Z6A
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    What a great link, dinajean! Thank you!!

  • sandy (z5b nys)
    3 years ago

    I guess if you’re extremely sensitive to urushiol you could be affected by adjacent plants that brushed against PI, but I don’t think that’s usually a problem. Also, it’s not a watery substance. That said, I have friends who say they get a rash when they’re anywhere near it. You should always be very careful to avoid surfaces where, for example, a vine has been growing up along a tree, a fence or other structure or object where there has been constant and/or direct contact. Or dead PI vines - you can’t miss them they’re thick and hairy.


    Once I’ve removed the PI, I do whatever I was planning to do with relative abandon. I always wear gloves while gardening, though not necessarily with deep cuffs (I also usually wear high rubber boots because I end up in the underbrush) and I always keep an eye open for PI I may have missed. After a while I think you develop a second sense. My beds aren’t highly cultivated; they’re the transitional area between the lawn and the woods so PI is always popping up. I’ve dramatically reduced the amount of PI in the areas I’ve been focusing on and, except initially, by mechanical means. I don’t know what your landscape is like, but I would say that the most effective thing I did was to have the massive PI vines that were wrapped around a couple of our trees killed (they were too big to remove). Birds love the berries, so as long as those vines are viable there’s going to be a lot of PI.



  • DCF-Z6A
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you, Sandy. More helpful guidance, I truly appreciate it! Yes, my PI is in the transitional area between an overgrown wooded ravine and my yard.

    (Just got back from urgent care because it's popped up on my eyelid. Yay! :-( Unfortunately I'm allergic to steroids, so it's milder remedies and crossed fingers for me! It's going to be a while before I venture into the risky areas again, but when I do I will be referring to your posts!)

  • sandy (z5b nys)
    3 years ago

    Yikes! Sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better soon, Also do a Gardenweb search - tons of helpful info has been posted in various forums over the years.