Three leaflets, urushiol oil. The plant that hospitalizes more Hoosiers than any snake.

A woody vine or low shrub. Leaves always in threes: the middle leaflet has a longer stalk. Leaflet edges may be smooth or coarsely toothed; surfaces often glossy. Young leaves can be red. Winter: hairy brown aerial roots on tree trunks and clusters of white-cream berries.

Habitat

Wood edges, fencerows, floodplains, and almost every Laughery Creek bank around Dillsboro.

Season

Leaves April–October; vines and berries year-round.

Size

Ground cover to high-climbing vine

Field marks

Leaves of three; middle leaflet stalked; white berries; hairy vine on trees

Urushiol stays active on tools, clothes, and dead vines for years. Do not burn — the smoke can blister lungs.