The Bitch's Leaf

You may or may not know about it, but I frequently have a run-in with a small plant called Toxicodendron diversilobum, a.k.a. poison oak, one of Mother Nature's (The Bitch) wonderful creations.

Unfortunately for me, there is plenty of this awful leaf in and around my yard. I seem to have touched it on more than one occasion. Lets see some pictures of what the Bitch's Leaf can do.

Farm arm.

I figured since I am so intimate with Toxicodendron diversilobum that I should do a little writeup about it. Because I do things like that.

Western poison oak is found along the Pacific coast states and some a bit farther east. It's a very prolific plant and hard to eradicate since the leaves are just the ends. The plant is a long vineish thing and can actually be several feet long and have many separate appendages. It does not have leaves in the colder months but is still able to give you a rash if you touch it. It blends in well with dead sticks and other forest duff, so it is very difficult to spot unless you've got a really good eye.

The rash is caused by a vile substance called urushiol. It is the same stuff that poison ivy and sumac has. Rougly 15-30% of people experience no reaction to these evil plants, but may become sensitive to it if they are exposed a lot.

(Fun fact: I get the same sort of nastyass rash from squash plants. I am no longer allowed to harvest squash unless I am wearing pants, long sleeves, and gloves.)

Poison oak does not have one set appearance. That means it can sometimes be difficult to recognize. Most sites say that it has three oak-shaped leaves, is shiny (due to the oily urushiol), has green leaves with a reddish tint, and is found low to the ground. I have seen that this is not always the case, after walking face-first into some hanging off a pine tree.

Here are some examples of the various Bitch's Leaf plants I have found in my yard.

Green with strong red highlights, not shiny.

Typical poison oak. Green with reddish hue, shiny.

Mixed red and green. Not shiny.

Green with no red, separate red, not shiny.

Red and purple, not shiny.

Green, purple, and red. Shiny and not shiny.

See the variance? They all have the same basic shape, but they are all different in some manner or another. Some are more oaky, some are rounder. Some have three leaves, some have two, some have one, some have a whole ton, and some have absolutely none. 

Poison oak comes in even more variants than this, it is a very challenging plant to be able to continuously identity. I've seen many kinds from totally round leaves to yellow leaves, and there are more variants still.

Here's one more picture to make you itch.