Although it's not native, poison ivy has spread far and wide across the Australian landscape, touching Australians in the most unpleasant of ways. Contact with the poisonous plant is known to cause red, swollen skin, blisters, and severe itching.
Poison ivy is not native to Australia and is fairly uncommon, but it still occurs in some parts of the country, so you'll need to be prepared if you encounter it in the wild. The leaflets often take the shape they have in the picture above, but sometimes they are lobed or forked. In the spring, the leaves may be red.
Toxicity. D. moroides is notorious for its extremely painful sting which may leave victims suffering for weeks or even months. It is reputed to be the most venomous plant in Australia, if not the world.
Ivy (Hedera helix) is regarded as a significant environmental weed in Victoria, the ACT, South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania.
Rhus or wax tree (Toxicodendron succedaneum)
Black bean (Castanospermum australe) Strychnine tree (Strychnos nux-vomica) Angel's trumpets (Brugmansia spp.) Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
Gympie Gympie's name sounds silly, but it's no laughing matter. The Australian plant is covered with tiny, poisonous hairs that sting with one touch. If the hairs get stuck in your skin, they can continue to cause severe pain for several months.
Known colloquially as the gympie gympie (from the Gubbi Gubbi/ Kabi Kabi name for the plant, gimpi gimpi), gympie stinger, and giant stinging tree (D. excelsa), this plant has the dubious honour of being arguably the most painful plant in the world.
Even though its common name is Australian maidenhair vine or Australian Ivy, Muehlenbeckia Complexa is actually native to New Zealand, and has been grown in the UK since 1842. It has small, dark green leaves on contrasting reddish wiry, interlaced stems that create a dense mass.
Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
Perhaps the most famously lethal on our list is Atropa belladonna, the aptly named Deadly Nightshade.
Arm yourself with a garden sprayer or a regular spray bottle. Fill in the container with a mixture of 80% water and 20% white vinegar. Spray the ivy plants thoroughly, making sure you don't affect any other plants you don't want to get rid of. Wait for a couple of days and inspect the result of your efforts.
Gympie-Gympie is a relatively harmless looking plant... until you touch it. The plant has a sting that feels like being burnt with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time, and often drives people in agony to kill themselves and is thus also called the "suicide plant".
Plants may also cause allergic contact dermatitis
Examples of plants in Australia that may cause contact dermatitis are chrysanthemums, primula, tomato plants, grevillea, english ivy and occasionally rhus trees.
Poison ivy rash often appears in a straight line because of the way the plant brushes against your skin. But if you develop a rash after touching a piece of clothing or pet fur that has urushiol on it, the rash may be more spread out. You can also transfer the oil to other parts of your body with your fingers.
Boxelder is often confused with poison ivy only in its young life as a sapling. Both plants have compound leaves, with each leaf consisting of three leaflets with the middle leaflet on the longest stalk. The leaf arrangement of these two species is the easiest giveaway of telling the two apart.
Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna)
Nightshade contains atropine and scopolamine in its stems, leaves, berries, and roots, and causes paralysis in the involuntary muscles of the body, including the heart. Even physical contact with the leaves may cause skin irritation.
Poison Oak
This woody vine is in the sumac family and packs a painful punch. Its sap also contains the irritant urushiol, which prompts a reaction when it touches the skin and is absorbed.
Blue death is extremely poisonous and can be fatal to humans.
Which areas of Australia regard ivy as an invasive species? In Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania, English ivy (Hedera helix) is regarded as a significant environmental pest. This is because it can easily take root when prunings are dumped in bushland.
As with many common garden, house and wild plants, ivy isn't food and is mildly poisonous if eaten. If you were to eat some, you might get an upset stomach. It is toxic to cats, dogs and horses, but not birds or livestock. Children under five are most at risk from plant poisoning.
Unfortunately, English Ivy (Hedera helix) is one of the most pernicious, nasty, and destructive of the invasive plants because it not only destroys native habitat, it can also destroy your house. That is why I've added English Ivy to the Most Hated Plants list.
Poisonous Plants in Australia
The most common poisonous plants in the summertime is poison ivy, oak, and sumac. These plants are known for having a sticky, long-lasting oil called 'urushiol.
Although it's not native, poison ivy has spread far and wide across the Australian landscape, touching Australians in the most unpleasant of ways. Contact with the poisonous plant is known to cause red, swollen skin, blisters, and severe itching.
Hemlock (Conium maculatum) is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria, the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania. It is primarily a weed of disturbed sites, often being found near stockyards, in waste areas and along roadsides.