Knowledgebase

Is this poison sumac? #778287

Asked November 23, 2021, 2:51 PM EST

Trees- some as high as 30 ft Are these poison sumac? Pictures of tree and bark. Identify as soon as possible. I am going to cut them down

Carroll County Maryland

Expert Response

These trees are probably too tall to likely be Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix). We would need to see several additional structural details to determine a likely ID; preferably in color. Characteristics of twigs (like leaf scar and dormant bud shape) and foliage (leaf type, shape, arrangement on the stem) are key in plant identification. A color close-up of the fruit (or flowers if it had been blooming) is also necessary to narrow-down candidates. In the case of this species, black sap (from a fresh cut, not necessarily any that's already oozing from the bark) might be characteristic.

Our best guess is that this is a species of sumac (Rhus). Despite the shared name, Poison Sumac is not a true sumac, though they are in the same plant family (cashew family).

You can use the images and information on these pages to help make an identification:

Poison Sumac gallery
https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/1419

Tree ID guide and page for Poison Sumac
https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/idit.htm

https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=581

 

Miri

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