Return to site

Helpful Identification Tips For Common Dangerous Plants

Have you ever had an uncontrollable itch that would not go away? Did that itch become a massive rash that spread across the skin like wildfire? These frequent symptoms can emerge within hours if the skin comes in contact with poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac, and/or wild parsnips while working within your lawn.

While avoidance to these crops would be the best practice to eliminate the odds of contact, how do you know what they look like and how do you know exactly what to do if you are infected? There is no plant home security system to tell you when dangerous plants are nearby so you need to know all about these plants. Below is a fast roundup of those greens that will help you determine these sometimes camouflaged plants and also some easy common steps to follow if your skin becomes polluted.

broken image

Poison Ivy—The skin irritant can grow across the United States--except in Alaska and Hawaii--as a vine or a shrub trailing along the floor or climbing on non crops, trees, and also poles. Each leaf carries three glistening leaflets with smooth or toothed edges. The leaves are reddish in spring, green in summer, and yellow/orange in the autumn. A few of these plants might even have greenish-white blossoms and whitish-yellow berries attached. If you run into contact with this species and a rash or rash forms, make sure not to scrape and utilize moist compresses or soak yourself in cold water when possible. Additionally, try an over the counter (OTC) topical corticosteroid, such as calamine lotion, to use to the aggravation.

Poison Oak—This poisonous plant develops in the Eastern and Southern United States as a low tree and as a long vine. The leaves are fuzzy green in nature and grow in clusters of three with leaves which are lobed and toothed with rounded tips. A few of these plants may have white or yellowish berries attached to the leaves. If you come into contact with Poison Oak, follow the identical protocol as with Poison Ivy.

Poison Sumac—Contrary to the other two poisons, this plant is often found in bogs or swamps from the Northeast, Midwest, and parts of the Southern United States. Sumac grows as a small tree and can even resemble a tall shrub. Just like Poison ivy, these leaves are orange at the spring, green in summer and yellow/orange in the autumn. Yellow-greenish flowers or whitish-green fruit sometimes hang loose inside their foliage clusters. Any aggravation caused by Sumac can be included by washing the exposed area with soap and water and damaging the skin using an OTC corticosteroid--the same action like Oak and Ivy.

Wild parsnips— It grows in dry areas like roadsides, pastures, and inhabited fields--any place where the land has been affected and native vegetation has yet to become fully recognized. The stems create a rosette of pinnate leaflets organized around the stalk--usually organized in pairs with observed toothed margins. When totally sprouted, each wild parsnip generates countless little yellow flowers that bloom in the summer. The flowers include five yellow petals curved inwards. Should you come in contact with this plant, immediately cover the infected area to prevent exposure to sunlight. Wash the infected area with water and mild soap and apply with a topical corticosteroid; nevertheless when blisters persist, instantly observe a doctor.

With the summer months quickly approaching, homeowners may turn their focus to tackling their gardening needs. Because of the prosperity of these poisonous plants, green-thumbers can unwillingly find themselves in the middle of patch and be instantly contaminated. By checking your surroundings and identifying these dangerous weeds, you can ensure that you are not in the"thick" of an itchy situation.