The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-07-28
ADMIRE POISON
IVY" FOR STURDY
SELF-DEFENSE

WASHINGTON, July IS (By lnterna-
tional News Service Look out for
that poison IVY" is ap Oft repeated cry
these picnic days
According to scientific sharps Of the
National Geographic soct,ty, TO know
the poison ivy is to avoid H. yet ia
admire il for its sturdy zclf-dcfense. "
They point out that poison ivy is a
member Of the sumac family. having
as relatives tho vinegar tree, the smooth
sumac and the srnokebush It's range
reaches as far north ~ Nova Scotia,
as far south as Florida and Texas and
as far west as Utah and British Co
lunnhia
Many people confuse the Virginia
creeper with the rasCaIy poison ivy,
9 confusion which nothing hut care
lessness in remembering the character
istics OF plants could bring about for
the Virginia crecper Is careful always
20 put forth five leaves where the poison
IVY has only three says Il bulletin OF
the Geographic society.
The Virginia creeper Is condemned
as being poison Ivy oftcner than poison
ivy Is accredited with being a Virginia
creeper, Many Virginia crocper has
reached the untimely end Of mauork
execution by the error. and not few
people have received a painful reminder
OF their mistake when they have failed
TO observe that three leaves spell foe
In the ivy vine and five leaves friend,
The poison ivy. or poison oak, as
some call II, Is "A prodigal climber IN
clined to run over everything In sight
Even the oak sometimes Is almost
srnothered when the poison ivy reaches
its topmost branches and spreads It's
dense foliagN over them
Inc 20. 81 q ~
June. its flowers being small. fragrant,
yellowish green. and arranged In dense
ly clustered spikes, Toward fan these
develop into smooth. white wax like
berries that often hold fast the winter
through The three leaves are shining
green, short stommed and oval pointed
1.-THE poison OF this ivy is powerful,
nonvolatile oil which penetrates the
pores OF the human skin and develops
hosts OF tiny itching blisters, followed
by a burning swelling Of the affected
parts
while we very naturally dislike a
plant tina, poisons us when we touch
IL, yet II we investigate the reason for
it's poison we discover that vast mum
Der of plants develop poisons and near
poisons and when we look over the
list we find that we would he rather
badly off without them. II Is true that
most of them are poisonous only Nheh
eaten, that few are poisonous TO the
touch, but they have all developed these
qualities in self-deftnse.
Some of them store their poison in
their seeds, Others in their root stocks
and others in theF roots to protect
their progeny from harm. They do
not go about looking for trouble or seek
ing. like the devil. whom they may
destroy; but they are prepared TO re-
sist invasion OF the rights Of their
children. Nux vomica and aconite are
two of many such Illustrations that
might be cited.
"Others develop alkaloids. like the
nicotine OF tobacco. the qulnine Of the
cinchona tree. and the thelne OF tea,
TO protect themselves Strychnine, digt-
tails and hundred and one indispeh
sable drugs that are poisonous in over,
doses are the gift OF the plant world
TO man as a by-product Of plant prep
arations for self-defense.
And SO, when the poison Ivy learned
TO give off Its poison by contact rather
than through its own destruction, II
simply went step further than Its
neighhors It has arranged It's plans
OF defense SO that 1t can wage war
without first being eaten. In that re
spect II meets the problem In the same
way as the thistle and the thorn. al
though It fights by subtle stealth rather
than open warfare