What is "poison ivy"

markweed \markweed\ n. A climbing plant ( Toxicodendron radicans) common in eastern and central U. S. with ternate leaves and greenish flowers followed by white berries. It yields an irritating oil that causes a rash on contact; commonly called poison ivy.

Syn: poison ivy, poison mercury, poison oak, Toxicodendron radicans, Rhus radicans.

n. Any of three ivy-like species of ''Toxicodendron'', well-known for their ability to causes an itching rash and blistering for most people, through urushiol, an oil that is a skin irritant.

1. n. dermatitis resulting from contact with the poison ivy plant; "my poison ivy is drying up"

2. climbing plant common in eastern and central United States with ternate leaves and greenish flowers followed by white berries; yields an irritating oil that causes a rash on contact [syn: markweed, poison mercury, poison oak, Toxicodendron radicans, Rhus radicans]

Poison Ivy (Pamela Lillian Isley) is a fictional supervillainess appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of the superhero Batman. Created by Robert Kanigher and Sheldon Moldoff, the character made her first appearance in Batman #181 (June 1966). Poison Ivy is one of Batman's most enduring enemies and belongs to the collective of adversaries that make up Batman's rogues gallery.

Poison Ivy is depicted as one of the world's most notorious eco-terrorists. She is obsessed with plants, botany, ecological extinction and environmentalism. She uses toxins from plants and mind-controlling pheromones for her criminal activities, which are usually aimed at protecting endangered species and the natural environment. Fellow villain Harley Quinn became her recurring partner-in-crime. She has proven to be one of Batman's more powerful foes, as she is one of the few members of his rogues gallery to display anything close to superpowers. The character has been portrayed as a love interest for Batman in some comics. In one comic, she was robbing a charity gala Bruce Wayne and Barry Allen were attending. Her first kiss was poison, the second its antidote. When they first meet, her toxic lips planted a seed of toxic rapture in Bruce. But when she later kissed a dying Dark Knight, she unknowingly cured her intended victim and established a budding romantic tension between them.

Creator Robert Kanigher modeled Poison Ivy after Bettie Page, giving her the same haircut and Southern drawl as Page. In her first appearances in 1966, no origin was developed; she was merely a temptress. When she first arrived in Gotham City, her costume was a one-piece, strapless green bathing suit, covered with leaves. Leaves also formed her bracelets, necklace, and crown. She wore green high heels and yellow-green nylon stockings with leaves painted on them. These particulars changed somewhat when she re-appeared.

Poison Ivy was promoted after the rise of feminism pointed out the need for a greater number of more independent female villains in the series. She was also used to replace the increasingly sympathetic Catwoman as a clearly antagonistic female supervillain foil for Batman, and then made further appearances in the Batman comic book series and in Suicide Squad. The second, retconned origin story provided for her by Neil Gaiman in the late 1980s linked her to Swamp Thing and his original Black Orchid as a human-plant hybrid. She has since appeared in starring roles in Gotham City Sirens and Birds of Prey.

The character was portrayed by Uma Thurman in Batman & Robin, and was voiced by Diane Pershing in Batman: The Animated Series. A significantly teenaged version was voiced by Piera Coppola on The Batman, and a completely revamped incarnation has been voiced by Tasia Valenza in the Batman: Arkham video game franchise, each nevertheless proving to be one of the most powerful criminals.

IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Poison Ivy as #64. She was ranked 21st in Comics Buyer's Guides "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.

Poison ivy may refer to:

• Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a poisonous plant.

Poison ivy or Poison Ivy may also refer to:

Kristy Marlana Wallace (born February 20, 1953), known as Poison Ivy or Poison Ivy Rorschach, is a guitarist, songwriter, arranger, producer, and occasional vocalist who co-founded the American punk band The Cramps.

Poison Ivy is a 1985 American made-for-television comedy film starring Michael J. Fox, directed by Larry Elikann, and written by Bennett Tramer. The film premiered on Sunday February 10, 1985, was produced by NBC, and aired just months before Fox's feature film breakthrough Back to the Future and follow-up Teen Wolf.

Poison Ivy is a 1992 American drama- thriller film directed by Katt Shea. Andy Ruben (who also produced and or semi- directed the film) transformed Melissa Goddard's story into the screenplay. It stars Drew Barrymore, Sara Gilbert, Tom Skerritt, Cheryl Ladd and Leonardo DiCaprio in a small role. The original music score is composed by David Michael Frank. The film was shot in Los Angeles.

It was nominated for the 1992 Grand Jury prize of Best Film at the Sundance Festival. Sara Gilbert was nominated for Best Supporting Female at the 1993 Independent Spirit Awards. Although it did not fare very well at the box office grossing $1,829,804 with its limited theatrical release to 20 movie theaters, the film received favorable word-of-mouth, and became a success on cable and video in the mid-1990s. As a result, the film spawned three sequels that are, by subtitle, Lily, The New Seduction, and The Secret Society.

"Poison Ivy" is a popular song by American songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by The Coasters in 1959. It went to #1 on the R&B chart, #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and #15 in the UK. This was their third top-ten hit of that year following " Charlie Brown" and " Along Came Jones".

The song discusses a girl known as "Poison Ivy". She is compared to measles, mumps, chickenpox, the common cold, and whooping cough, but is deemed worse, because "Poison Ivy, Lord, will make you itch". According to lyricist Jerry Leiber, "Pure and simple, 'Poison Ivy' is a metaphor for a sexually transmitted disease".

The song also makes references to other flowers such as a rose and a daisy.