| Menu list goes here |
Herbal Database Search Results
Back
to: Pathways Main Search
Page For Metaphysical uses
visit The Witchs Haven
Rhus radicans
| Common name: |
Poison Ivy |
Family: |
Anacardiaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
11, 43, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Toxicodendron vulgare, Toxicodendron radicans ((L.)Kuntze.), Rhus toxicodendron (non L.) |
| Known Hazards: |
This plant contains toxic substances and skin contact with it can cause severe irritation to some people[11]. The sap is extremely poisonous[11]. The sap contains 3-N pentadecycatechnol. Many people are exceedingly sensitive to this, it causes a severe spreading dermatitis. The toxins only reach the skin if the plant tissues have been damaged, but even indirect contact can cause severe problems[200]. |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Quebec to Florida, west to Texas.. |
| Habitat: |
Woods, on rocky slopes and in wooded swamps[43]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
0 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 1 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Amelopsis hoggii[H]
R. acutiloba[B,P]
R. radicans var. littoralis[B,P]
R. radicans var. malacotrichocarpa[B,P]
R. serratum[G]
R. toxicarium[B,P]
R. toxicodendron var. quercifolium[G]
R. volubile[G]
Rubus radicans[HORTIPLEX]
Toxicodendron pubescens[B,G,P]
Toxicodendron quercifolium[B,G,P]
Toxicodendron radicans ssp. radicans[B,P]
Toxicodendron toxicarium[B,G,,P]
Toxicodendron toxicodendron[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Atlantic Poison Oak [P], Atlantic Poison-oak [B], Eastern Poison Ivy [P], Eastern Poison-ivy [B], Gifsumak [D], Poison Ivy [S,H], Poison-Ivy [E], Poison-ivy [FEIS,DEN1], Zehirli Sumak Agaci [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
radicans = taking root (stems);
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Sapindales. Sumac family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Guatemala; Mexico; Mexico(Kickapoo); Turkey; Us; Us(Blackfoot); Us(Ga)
|
| Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds | From USDA
PLANTS database, Weeds Australia
, DEFRA Injurious Weeds | | Listed as noxious/invasive for: South Australia, Western Australia. |
Physical Characteristics
A decidious climber growing to 2.5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Bees.
The plant not is self-fertile.
We rate it 0/5 for edibility and
1/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Hepatic; Skin; Tonic.
Poison ivy has occasionally been used medicinally, though it is an
extremely poisonous plant and great caution should be exercised. Any herbal
use should only be undertaken under the supervision of a qualified
practitioner. See also the notes above on toxicity.
This plant has been used in the past by physicians in the treatment of
paralysis and liver disorders[222].
A decoction of the leaves has been used as a tonic and rejuvenator[257]. The
whole or the broken leaves have been rubbed over the skin to treat boils and
skin eruptions[257].
The leaves have been rubbed on skin that has been affected by a poison ivy
reaction[257].
Other Uses
Dye; Ink; Mordant; Oil.
The leaves are rich in tannin. They can be collected as they fall in
the autumn and used as a brown dye or as a mordant[169].
An oil is extracted from the seeds[4]. It attains a tallow-like consistency
on standing and is used to make candles. These burn brilliantly, though they
emit a pungent smoke[4].
An excellent marking ink is obtained from this plant[11].
Cultivation details
Succeeds in a well-drained fertile soil in full sun[11, 200].
The young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts.
A fast-growing but short-lived species in the wild[22]. It has brittle
branches and these can be broken off in strong winds[200]. Plants are also
susceptible to coral spot fungus[11]. Plants in this genus are notably
resistant to honey fungus[200].
The plant has a semi-climbing habit and produces aerial roots[11], and
occasionally reaches the size of a small tree[229].
Many of the species in this genus, including this one, are highly toxic and
can also cause severe irritation to the skin of some people, whilst other
species are not poisonous. It is relatively simple to distinguish which is
which, the poisonous species have axillary panicles and smooth fruits whilst
non-poisonous species have compound terminal panicles and fruits covered with
acid crimson hairs[1, 4]. The toxic species are sometimes separated into
their own genus, Toxicodendron, by some botanists[200].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagation
Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak the
seed for 24 hours in hot water (starting at a temperature of 80 - 90c and
allowing it to cool) prior to sowing in order to leach out any germination
inhibitors[200]. The stored seed also needs hot water treatment and can be
sown in early spring in a cold frame[200]. When they are large enough to
handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the
greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent
positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[200].
Root cuttings 4cm long taken in December and potted up vertically in a
greenhouse. Good percentage[78, 200].
Suckers in late autumn to winter[200].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Rhus toxicodendron (a possible synonym).
References for Rubus radicans (a possible synonym).
References for Toxicodendron pubescens (a possible synonym).
References for Toxicodendron radicans (a possible synonym).
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [FEIS] Data
(Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
- [DEN] Data _ Photos
(Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
- [FEIS] Data
(Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
References for Toxicodendron radicans ssp. radicans (a possible synonym).
References for toxicodendron radicans (a possible synonym).
References for the family Anacardiaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
Main Search Page
Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Rhus+radicans
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Rhus+radicans
|
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if
you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.
|
|
