Q: Does Georgia have Poison Oak plants?

A: Poison oak, Toxicodendron pubescens, does grow in Georgia but it is MUCH less common than people think. Poison oak leaves tend to have rounded lobes rather than pointed lobes; it always grows as a shrub.

Poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, has leaf lobes that are usually pointed and it typically grows as a vine. However, when it can’t find a tree to climb, poison ivy makes a shrub-like mound. In my experience, most folks who think they’ve found poison oak are really looking at poison ivy.

See also:
Atlantic Poison Oak
Eastern Poison Ivy

poison ivy

poison oak