If you're not careful, you could mistake young Boston ivy for poison ivy....
David Beaulieu
The "leaflets 3" rhyme that helps you remember what poison ivy looks like isn't perfect, as Boston ivy demonstrates when it's young.
The "leaflets 3" rhyme that helps you remember what poison ivy looks like is helpful, but not of much use against Boston ivy, before the leaves of the latter mature. Young Boston ivy can also have "leaflets 3." Once it matures, however, Boston ivy bears simple leaves, as distinct from the compound leaves of poison ivy.