When climbing, the stems cling to surfaces with aerial roots. Leaves compound, with three large acute or acuminate leaflets .
Flowers greenish, in axillary panicles.
Fruits small, whitish or grayish. A variable species or group of related species, subspecies, and varieties. The species occurs throughout the U. S. east of the Rocky Mountains. Similar species are found in the west. Poison ivy is most abundant in floodplain forests, but is often found in other habitats.