Does Poison Ivy Sometimes have 5 Leaves?

[pinksand]

I feel like I've become pretty good at identifying poison ivy. I can distinguish it from the 5 leaves of Virginia creeper, wild raspberry, and other 3 leaved plants (a friend freaked out because I touched a jack in the pulpit plant with 3 leaves... I know not all 3 leaved plants are PI). I know those mitten shaped leaves well and know they sometimes don't have mittens but other irregularities in shape. Overall I have felt pretty confident in being able to ID it.

However, some neighbors have informed me that poison ivy can have 5 leaves sometimes... I thought they must have been getting it confused with virginia creeper but they said no, that's why they are scared to pull VC, because PI sometimes has 5 leaves. I've never heard this before and couldn't find anything online to back that up, so figured I'd ask here. I've always looked for 3 leaves! Is it true that PI can have 5? This was coming from 3 different neighbors, one of which is a very well seasoned gardener.

[applestar]

Hmm...I haven't seen that either.
What I HAVE seen is on mature Virginia creepers, some of the small new leaves can have three leaves that look just like poison ivy at same size. ...but if you follow the vine down to older leaves, they are regular Virginia creeper leaves.

[pinksand]

Yes, I've definitely seen that on Virginia creeper too! I've been yanking out some VC and suddenly was holding what looked like PI and threw the vine thinking it was a separate plant until I realized the leaves were growing on the same vine.

I've never heard it the other way around though until now. Everything I can find online says PI ALWAYS has 3 leaflets. They said it with such authority though that I started second guessing myself!

[rainbowgardener]

PI always has three leaves "leaves of three let it be." Your friend almost definitely was confused between PI and Virginia creeper.