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It is simply amazing to me that a plant that I hate so much has such an incredibly beautiful, tiny flower! Measuring only about 1/8" in diameter, poison oak blossoms are so small and plain looking that most people don't even know that poison oak has flowers. Steve, in fact, was amazed when I showed him these pictures! It's almost irritating that such a noxious plant should have a lovely flower! :D They are beautiful though, aren't they!

Western Poison Oak only grows along the Pacific Coast of North America and can be found from Canada to Baja, California. It produces a toxin called "urushiol" which causes an itchy rash which makes itself known a few hours after contact. This rash will last for up to three weeks depending on how allergic you are and the severity of contact. Most people are allergic, but there are a few who are not affected by this toxin. Also, if there is continued contact with Poison Oak, most people will become sensitized to it.

Handy tip!! If you get a rash from poison oak (or any sort of itch, actually!), put the affected area under hot water--as hot as you can stand--for 10-15 seconds. This will burn out the histomines in the area that cause the itching sensation, and it takes hours for your body to rebuild the histomines again. Try this the next time you get a bug bite or rash. You'll be amazed how well it works. I only wish I'd learned this when I was a kid, not a year ago!

If you would like to know more about Poison Oak, Wiki has a great source of information here: Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)