Poison sumac

Poison sumac

taxobox
name = Poison sumac


image_caption = Poison sumac leaves
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Sapindales
familia = Anacardiaceae
genus = "Toxicodendron"
species = "T. vernix"
binomial = "Toxicodendron vernix"
binomial_authority = Kuntze|

Poison sumac ("Toxicodendron" "vernix" or "Rhus vernix") is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 7 m (20 ft) tall.cite book
last =Keeler
first =Harriet L.
title =Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them
publisher =Charles Scriber's Sons
date =1900
location =New York
pages =94-96 ] All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans. When burned, inhalation of the smoke causes diarrhea and other internal irritations.

Description

The head of the tree is round and narrow and the branches slender and rather pendulous; often it is simply a shrub. Small branches and young stems pithy. Has acrid, milky, poisonous juice which turns black on exposure.

The compound leaves are pinnate, 25-50 cm long, with 7 - 13 leaflets; the leaflets are 4-10 cm long and sometimes mistaken for individual leaves. The veins from which the leaflets grow are always red.

The fruit is a small white or grey berry, produced in panicles 10-20 cm long; this distinguishes it from other sumacs which have red berries. Differs from other sumacs in having shorter leaves, leaflets fewer, margins are entire. It is found in wet soils, whereas the others like it dry.

* Bark: Smooth, light or dark gray, slightly striate. Branchlets are smooth, reddish brown, covered with small, orange colored, lenticular spots; later they become orange brown and finally light gray.
* Wood: Light yellow with brown lines; light, soft, coarse-grained, brittle. Sp. gr., 0.4382; weight of cu. ft., 27.31 lbs.
* Winter buds: Terminal bud is much larger than the axillary buds, all are acute, dark purple.
* Leaves: Alternate, pinnately compound, seven to fourteen inches long, borne on slender reddish petioles. Leaflets seven to thirteen, obovate, or oblong, three to four inches long, slightly unequal or contracted at the base, entire, acute or rounded at the apex, short petiolate except the terminal one which sometimes has a stalk an inch in length. They come out of the bud orange colored and downy, when full grown are smooth, dark green and shining above, pale beneath; midrib and primary veins prominent. IN autumn they turn scarlet and orange.
* Flowers: June, July. Dioecious; yellow green, borne in long, narrow, axillary panicles crowded near the ends of the branches. Bracts and bractlets are acute, downy, and fall as the flowers open.
* Calyx: Five-lobed, lobes acute, short.
* Corolla: Petals five, acute, yellow green.
* Stamens: Five, with long slender filaments and large orange colored anthers. In the fertile flowers short and rudimentary.
* Pistil: Ovary ovoid-globose, one-celled, surmounted by three thick spreading styles; ovule solitary.
* Fruit: Drupaceous, globular, white, borne in long graceful racemes, often tipped with the dark remnants of the styles. Ripens in September and frequently hangs on the tree the entire winter. Cotyledons flat, leaf-like.

Distribution

Poison sumac grows exclusively in very wet or flooded soils, usually in swamps and peat bogs, in the eastern United States and Canada.

In the U.S., it can grow as far west as Idaho, where it is found only in the southern part of the state.

Toxicity

In the U.S., it is listed under the Federal Noxious Weed Act of 1974, as amended (7 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.), as a "noxious weed". Most U.S. states list this plant in similar categories. It is considered one of the "U.S. Invasive Weeds" [http://plants.nrcs.usda.gov/cgi_bin/invasive_all.cgi] . In terms of its potential to cause urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, poison sumac is far more virulent than its relatives poison ivy and poison oak. According to some botanists, poison sumac ("Toxicodendron vernix") is the most toxic plant species in the United States (Frankel, 1991).

The poison shows itself in painful and long continued swellings and eruptions.

Avoidance, treatment, and safety

"For specific information on prevention and treatment of Toxicodendron rashes, see Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis."

ee also

*Poison ivy
*Poison oak

References and external links

* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TOVE Entry for "TOVE" on PLANTS Database] , USDA.
* [http://www.dnr.wi.gov/org/land/Forestry/treeid/TreePgs/toxicodendronvernix.htm Wisconsin page for poison sumac] .
* [http://www.henriettesherbal.com/faqs/medi-2-7-poison-ivy.html Poison ivy / oak / sumac] in "The Medicinal Herb FAQ".
* [http://www.poison-sumac.org The Poison Sumac Page] Photos and facts about poison sumac.
* [http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0802.htm Poison Oak] at "Wayne's Word"
* [http://www.pesgce.com/toxicodendrondermatitis/derm.asp Toxicodendron Dermatitis: Identification, Immunologic Mechanisms, Diagnosis, and Treatment]
* Frankel, Edward, Ph.D. 1991. Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac and Their Relatives; Pistachios, Mangoes and Cashews. The Boxwood Press. Pacific Grove, CA. (call #QK 495.A498 F73 1991). 98pages.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Poison sumac — Poison Poi son, n. [F. poison, in Old French also, a potion, fr. L. potio a drink, draught, potion, a poisonous draught, fr. potare to drink. See {Potable}, and cf. {Potion}.] 1. Any agent which, when introduced into the animal organism, is… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Poison sumac — Sumac Su mac, Sumach Su mach, n. [F. sumac, formerly sumach (cf. Sp. zumaque), fr. Ar. summ[=a]q.] [Written also {shumac}.] 1. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus {Rhus}, shrubs or small trees with usually compound leaves and clusters of small flowers …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • poison sumac — ☆ poison sumac n. a swamp plant (Rhus vernix) of the cashew family, with greenish white flowers, hanging clusters of small grayish fruit, and leaves made up of 7 to 13 leaflets: it can cause a severe rash on contact …   English World dictionary

  • poison sumac — noun 1. dermatitis resulting from contact with a poison sumac plant • Hypernyms: ↑Rhus dermatitis 2. smooth American swamp shrub with pinnate leaves and greenish flowers followed by greenish white berries; yields an irritating oil • Syn: ↑poison… …   Useful english dictionary

  • poison sumac — poison su·mac s(h)ü .mak n an American swamp shrub of the genus Rhus (R. vernix syn. Toxicodendron vernix) that has smooth pinnate leaves, greenish flowers, and greenish white berries and produces an irritating oil called also poison dogwood * *… …   Medical dictionary

  • poison sumac — a shrub or small tree, Rhus vernix (or Toxicodendron vernix), of swampy areas of the eastern U.S., having pinnate leaves and causing severe dermatitis when touched by persons sensitive to it. Also called poison dogwood. [1810 20] * * * also… …   Universalium

  • poison sumac — noun A woody shrub or small tree, all parts of which cause irritation to humans; Rhus vernix or Toxicodendron vernix. Syn: swamp sumac, poison dogwood, poison elder …   Wiktionary

  • poison sumac — noun Date: 1817 a swamp shrub (Toxicodendron vernix syn. Rhus vernix) chiefly of the eastern United States and Canada that has pinnate leaves, greenish flowers, and greenish white berries and produces an irritating oil called also poison dogwood …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • poison sumac — poi′son su′mac n. pln a swamp shrub or small tree, Rhus vernix, of the cashew family, common in the eastern U.S., having pinnate leaves and pale green flowers: may cause allergic dermatitis when touched …   From formal English to slang

  • poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac — 1. See Toxicodendron. 2. Common name for the cutaneous eruption (rhus dermatitis) caused by contact with these species of Toxicodendron …   Medical dictionary

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