Monday, April 27, 2015

Word of the Day -- Poison Ivy


Toxicodendron radicans, commonly known as poison ivy (older synonyms are Rhus toxicodendron and Rhus radicans), is a poisonous North American and Asian flowering plant that is well known for causing an itching, irritating, and sometimes painful rash in most people who touch it, caused by urushiol, a clear liquid compound in the sap of the plant. Urushiol, however, is not a defensive measure; it helps the plant to retain water. It is variable in its appearance and habit, and despite its common name it is not a true ivy (Hedera). T. radicans is commonly eaten by many animals, and the seeds are consumed by birds, but poison ivy is most often thought of as an unwelcome weed.

I can attest to the evil that is poison ivy.  But this poison ivy is even worse...


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Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds: An Introduction

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