Poison oak. Photo via Flickr.
Hikers beware, poison oak is common in many areas of the Western US and should be avoided. Here are a few tips to help you identify this plant and some helpful advice on treating the rash if you get it.
In all of my travels and wanderings around the world and western US I have been lucky enough to never get a severe rash from this plant. I have seen it several times and try my best to avoid it. The first step to avoid getting the rash is knowing how to identify it. Unfortunately, this plant does not always look the same and can be a challenge to identify.
Poison oak can be a shrub like this or a vine. Photo via Flickr.
What Does Poison Oak Look Like?
Remember the saying, ‘leaves of three, let it be?’ Well, you need to follow that advice with this plant.
It grows in groups of three leaves that come from a single stem. There are two leaves growing opposite each other and one more at a right angle to them. The leaves can be a round shape or lobed like an oak leaf. The edges of the leaves may be smooth or toothed.
This plant can grow like a shrub or a vine.
The leaves may be red during the fall. Photo via Flickr.
It is deciduous, meaning that it loses its leaves during the winter.
It is important to note that there are no thorns.
Where Does Poison Oak Live?
Luckily for those people that live in the Rocky Mountains or at higher elevations, this plant lives mainly below 5,000 feet.
It is common in many states in western North America, including California, Oregon, Nevada, and Washington. Most often it grows in a forest of conifer trees or a mixed forest of conifers and broadleaf trees.
Poison Oak Can Cause A Bad Rash
This is one of the three plants that you should avoid when hiking in the Western US. Similar to Poison Ivy it can cause a bad rash that is painful and irritating.
How Do You Treat A Poison Oak Rash?
Generally, the rash does not need medical treatment and will go away over time (a couple of weeks). However, the rash can cause awful itching and that can be treated.
The rash that is caused by this plant is the same as that caused by Poison Ivy. Both are caused by the same oil on the plants. Read this post that goes into details about the best way to treat the rash.