How to Identify Poison Sumac

In this video I tell you how to identify poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix). I focus on how to distinguish it from all the more common plants that are often incorrectly identified as poison sumac.

[@moonasha]

very useful video. Showing the lookalikes is 100x more helpful than just showing the plant itself. I've found plant identification is more about looking for things that shouldn't be there, than looking for what should be there

[@cmills2131]

Thank you. There is a lot of contradictory and misinformation online. This was very thorough.

[@hphp7521]

Fantastic and informative. I am hours into trying to ID potential poison sumac and NO ONE else has mentioned tree of heaven as an almost *exact duplicate* but with the tiny leaf notch, which it looks like I have! You saved me, man - thanks!

[@gailmurf9365]

Excellent, informative video. I especially appreciate the clarity around ways to rule out the poison plant.

[@maureenlisbeth]

THANK YOU!! The detailed visuals of the NOT poison sumac were ever so helpful in identifying my jungle weed trees out back!! But I would caution folks, who might be extra sensitive, that some of these MAY also give you nasty, 'need- a - doctor', rashes, blisters, and stinging hive-like problems on skin, ears, eyes, and scalp! Also, when you spread cheap mulch which might have errant weed seeds in it, and the condo (mis) managed irrigation heads are faulty and saturate specific soil patches abundantly, sumac and others can rapidly thrive and rebound over and over! But better informed makes me want to perservere, (maybe in a hazmat suit and power tools) so, I 'm grateful for the video!!

[@mello1023]

We had a poison sumac problem at one home, we were near a river but a block or so away from it. This is in Indiana so definitely not swamp land. They tended to thrive under and through our bushes. Their stems get super thick, one grew to 6ft+ at one point and we had to use a chainsaw on it. I don't tend react to it or poison ivy, but had many friends and relatives fall victim. It tends to be worse for most people than poison ivy imo.

[@moonasha]

@@spotscorner6040 it's just like a bee sting. The more you're exposed to it, the higher your chances of having a bad reaction. If you don't get a reaction with poison ivy, consider yourself lucky, and try to never touch it again. Because the more you touch it, the higher the chance your immunity will suddenly vanish

[@chrisk9165]

I got into it in Indiana cleaning a cemetery and it was much worse than poison ivy by a bunch!

[@hahamorehaha6869]

Indiana is full of it. I can pull oak n ivy with no issues. Weed eating sumac and hot n sweaty got it all on my belt line, went away after about 30 minutes.

[@denniscrumbley8274]

I live in North central Indiana. I don't think I've ever seen poison sumac. I never used to have a problem with poison ivy until one time I was severely infected with poison oak. Now if I just look at poison ivy I explode.

[@stevehanson7169]

Thank you for the great info! For those looking to identify and control destructive, invasive species, the first tree you mentioned, tree of heaven (Ailanthus), and easily hides the the egg patches of the spotted lanternfly, also a destructive, invasive species. The tree of heaven will also smother out anything nearby and not just from the smell! Again, thanks for the great identification video!!

[@AlyKatsWay]

I was waiting for you to say " Kentucky Coffee Tree " . At the 7 minute mark you mention it. As you know, we have a very big one in the yard. I actually had to research it. I look at anything poison Ivy-ish (lol!!😹) , being very allergic, and I get it. If I do get poison ivy, I immediately have to go to the doctor or an emergency room to get a shot of Cortozone...See here I was thinking it was Sumak. Thank goodness it wasn't. Thank you for this video Joe! It really helped me take a better look at what is around me. Especially around the marsh areas by the trails! ✌🏼 ☘️ Keep up the good work 💪💯

[@danielethier2015]

Well done sir! Thanks kindly for sharing!!

[@tonyashort4012]

Thank you for this! Several years ago I helped clean up an overgrown yard and broke out in a horrible rash. I react terrible to poison ivy but the rash was different. After some research I though maybe I had encountered poison sumac but with your description of the smell I now know I was encountering tree of heaven. Apparently I'm allergic to that one too!

[@bother2adapt]

Best sumac identificaiton video yet. Thank you.

[@cuznclive2236]

Hello from southern VT. We live about 100-feet above a bog and have poison sumac. It's almost as if the previous owners planted it; one tree was directly outside of the rear entrance against the foundation, and another was in a flower bed up against a stone wall. Suppose they could have been volunteers. Nonetheless, our soil is not swampy; in fact, it's sandy to the extent that using it to grow vegetables requires significant effort to amend.

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

Are you sure you don't have Staghorn sumac? I live on sandy soil and am TRYING to grow it for my wild songbirds! It grows all around me on the sides of the roads, and I have one volunteer coming up so far. Staghorn sumac has clusters of RED berries that point upward. Over 300 species of wild songbirds eat these berries in the winter to help them stay alive. Native pollinators also love Staghorn sumac nectar from its flowers. People can make a type of lemonade from its red berries, too! And they have the most gorgeous firey red leaves in the fall ! 😍 Poison sumac has WHITE berries and is WAY less common than Staghorn sumac. Unfortunately, people often get them confused and kill the good Staghorn sumac thinking it's poisonous when it's not! =(

[@bl8388]

I live in Florida, now. I appreciate this video. We have some swampy areas.

[@EricFapton]

I’ve recently been making trails for me and my dog to walk. I start breaking out in rashes on my arms and around my ankles, come to find out I’ve been pulling at poison ivy with my hands for days!

[@dlebreton7888]

Thank you for the information. Would have been much better if you had a poison sumac branch beside the non- sumac branch for comparison.

[@stan7895]

Really insightful video. Thank you for creating it.

[@MaryTait-z5z]

THANK YOU, EXCELLENTLY PRESENTED INFORMATION!

[@templeashbaugh5315]

Oh My Goodness!! Thanks So Much for this video ❣️ Cleaning up an overgrown yard and had a panic attack when I got to the Trees of Heaven 😂 Your Video was 💯% the Best I've seen online⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@fubard5725]

Thank you so much for your video.. Helped in ruling out poison sumac!

[@ElleriaZer]

Thanks for this video! It was super helpful. I love by a lake, so I think it's at least wet enough to support sumac in some places and I always want to identify if I'm about to take the weed eater to something that could cause rashes.

[@godman5043]

Man, like a good science class. Some great information here. Nicely done

[@patriciadeane7250]

Thank you for this video………I have smooth Sumac on my property…….love the canopy they create!

[@lisatunison2895]

Thank you for touching on all of my concerns how to differentiate edible from inedible sumac.

[@Denise-SA]

Thank you... great teaching video. Much appreciated.

[@robertshort4631]

Very clear and helpful. Thank you.

[@Percival3Smithers]

great video; informative and brief

[@janneyovertheocean9558]

Thank you for this very informative presentation to teach us.

[@ZainRenault]

I was worried that we had a couple poison sumacs sprouting up in the backyard, but the info here helped me rule that out. No idea what the plants actually are but at least it looks like it isn't poison ivy, oak, or sumac so I'll be able to remove them later this week without worry.

[@markvoss3761]

Awesome presentation! Thanks.

[@jayc3110]

That was an excellent video.- it would have helped a lot, if you had a still picture summary off every plant you talked about. Thank you and best wishes.

[@EatThePlanet]

thanks for the critique. I think you're right. That would have been better. I'll put something like that in next time.

[@jayc3110]

@@EatThePlanet thank you.

[@Meleynatey702]

yeah cool👍👍👌👌🙏🙏😺😺😸😸💖💖

[@user-ir4nf4tt1m]

Very informative, thank you on a very well executed video, with a very thorough explanation. ❤

[@ericajollymackenzie2382]

Thank you for this video. Unfortunately I break out in contact dermatitis when handling staghorn sumac as It grows abundantly in MA. so glad I've never encountered poison sumac.

[@sammylacks4937]

I've often seen Tree of heaven, knew it wasn't P sumac but didn't know what it was. Thanks for ID ING that.

[@TattooedGranny]

Thank you…very helpful!

[@tvtimetravel]

Here's a rhyme to remember: Berries red, have no dread. Berries white, poisonous site (or run in fright).

[@melodyjogibson6791]

Thank you

[@farkleberry471]

Thank you!

[@GregorMitchell]

9:30 for what poison sumac looks like. Before that you'll get told about 100 features that are NOT poison sumac. This made me laugh, don't get me wrong I appreciate the video, it's just that every time you led up to the identifaction you said, "This is NOT poison sumac.".

[@Trashpandapermaculture]

Plants are positively identified through comparison!

[@LindaBolt-vy9rx]

Helpful; thanks

[@joshuabaughn3734]

It doesn't grow in North America but the Cashew is also part of the Poison Ivy Family.

[@tracycraft]

When I was a child, I kept getting "poison ivy" and the doctor would constantly tell me about the three leaves. Over time, I learned that the plant doing to it to me did not have three leaves or reddish tent. I have now seen poison ivy in college as part of my course work. I am wondering if it was this. The plant seemed innocent with leaves lined up on the stem like that. It was Ohio where cat tails grew which I thought only grew in swamps too. I just googled swamp images. They called it Reed Sweet Grass. We had an underground stream that gave us water for years even though our neighbor had to drill a deeper well.

[@Fleshbits1]

I've got a hell of a rash and the only thing I can think of that I came into contact with recently is a shrub I handled and cut down for a number of hours, It has a thin red stem, it has alternate leaflets 5-13 each, the leaves are smooth, but it is not swampy. In fact, we've had a drought and the soil is probably more of a dry black clay. I wish I could post a picture for you to identify it. No one here in Texas that I know can id this plant and the plant apps are giving less than 30% certainty. I'd really like to know if it is a rash inducing plant so I know whether others at the garden should be weeding it or to warn them.

[@AlyKatsWay]

I always " suit up " before doing anything outside in the greens. I can't be around any of that. So when in doubt, long sleeve shirt and gloves! 😉

[@dylanmart6007]

Yep those serrations on tree of heaven leaves are leaf glands that contain nectar that bees and other pollinators love

[@EatThePlanet]

I didn't know that, thanks I'm going to do a little more research.

[@tempviduse]

Recently got a book (auduban society trees of norht america) and found that all the Poison sumac that around my property is in fact not poison sumac

[@fasteddie..4204]

It's all over southeast Missouri..

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

Staghorn sumac has RED berries that point to the sky. It is NOT poisonous, and is in fact a very beneficial native plant whose berries feed over 300 species of songbirds when there's not much else to eat in the winter and also it's flowers feed native bees and butterflies. Poison sumac has WHITE berries and is, as it's name suggests, poisonous. Just want to clear up any confusion because people kill Staghorn sumac... the good, red berried one... thinking it's the poisonous kind, but it's actually a great native plant! You can even make a type of lemonade from its red berries!

[@charleshines2142]

I have what looks like sumac but I asked someone and he doesn't think it is the poison, itchy kind. I imagine the rash would be the same as the one you get from poison ivy so if you messed with sumac and now have a rash look and make sure it is not that. Maybe get a friend who is not allergic to plants of that variety to inspect it. If it works the same as poison ivy I imagine there will be a sheen to it.

[@jaybee608]

👌👍

[@brittanylehman5104]

does the stem of poison sumac have thorns on it?

[@anthonyman8008]

I have a 30 foot tree behind my shed, found out it is Poison sumac when i was pulling one its saplings up and it got my side

[@autumnreasor153]

I wish I’d seen this video before I got into the poison sumac 😢 I swear to god I’ll never touch another plant again lol.

[@EatThePlanet]

That sucks. Sorry that happened. What state are you in. I'm in CT and it's actually not all that common up here but everyone still thinks they see it all the time.

[@autumnreasor153]

Southeastern Oklahoma lol.. I have it all over my stomach chest arms neck and kinda on my face. I went to the er the other night and they gave me a steroid shot, and I ended up like having a seizure/passing out (I’m not sure which my gf was the only person who saw it happen) This stuff is no joke 😬

[@autumnreasor153]

It was a big one too.. I thought it was just a regular tree. I live waaaay our in the country tho that’s why it was probably so big lol. I done chopped it down, sawed it up (with hand tools 🥴) All I was trying to do was make a cat tree for my fur babies lol 😂

[@darkhorse9472]

@@EatThePlanet The peanut butter smell: Years ago, I was pulling 'weeds' around my back fence around on older house we had just bought. I had no gloves on, shorts and a tank top. I kept pulling long these stems out, that smelled like peanuts. I got a horrible rash, blisters, on the top of my hands, arms, and all over my legs. Huge water blisters. It left dark patches on my skin for over a year. No swamp, no water. I didn't know at the time, but the 'weeds' I was pulling out looked exactly like poison sumac. Now you're saying poison sumac doesn't smell like peanuts and only grows in swamps? Then what plant caused my blisters and rash?

[@Icehso140]

Tree of Heaven stinks to high heaven. The 2 notches at the base of the leaflet and the stink when broken are the best signs. It took me 62 years in MA to finally see poison oak while mtn biking. 48 years in the woods hiking and never got a poison ivy rash. Then I was chasing a 50 cent golfball in the weeds and slam...poison ivy all over. LOL

[@blakespower]

yeah a lot of people are immune when they are young

[@shadricosuave]

Great video. Thank you Why did you skip over the other type of sumac that's irritant just like poison ivy? It seems like because it wasn't called poison sumac it was still a smooth sumac or whatever you call it still poisonous but because the name wasn't poisonous it was skipped? I'm confused

[@EatThePlanet]

rhus glabra is smooth sumac. It's closely related to staghorn sumac(rhus typhina). Neither of these are known to be particularly irritating to skin. Sometimes with any plant people have sensitivities so I'm not saying that doesn't happen sometimes but they aren't anything like poison sumac.

[@shadricosuave]

@@EatThePlanet thanks. I hate poison ivy and poison oak. I might have sumac and my swamp. I want to avoid it at all costs that's why I looked for this video. Any kind of sumac that is going to cause irritation on my skin like poison ivy I want to stay away from. I've got some tall trees about 6 to 10 feet tall right now that look like it but it's more like a flat leaf looks very tropical.

[@buck10539]

I don't live by a swamp and I have plenty of poison sumac. Gets berries and red heads during different growing cycles. Five feet away is a lot of poison ivy. I've lived in north western Ohio for 76 years and I know what it is. Doesn't bother me but it sure likes my wife. There is some bottom land a 100 feet away that gets flooded if that counts as a swamp.

[@Kwon_Set0]

5:40 deff confused me you say odd leaflets is sumac which that plant was? You touched it and broke the leaf off. Am I missing something?

[@EatThePlanet]

Sorry, I should have clarified. Poison Sumac does have odd numbered leaflets but it's not the only plant with odd numbered leaflets. That particular plant was also tree of heaven.

[@Kwon_Set0]

@@EatThePlanet aaahh gotcha and thanks for the reply bro

[@samyoungblood3740]

I have this same species and I’m allergic to it!

[@jamiem2444]

..... there are crawdads in our lawn, so yes, I'd say it's wet enough for poison sumac.... 🤔

[@EatThePlanet]

yes, crawdads in the lawn might be wet enough for poison sumac.

[@godlovesusall1000]

What about the red clusters or blooms that form in the fall? Mine also spreads under the soil sometimes as far away as 20 feet. I was hoping you'd identify it like that.

[@EatThePlanet]

the red clusters are likely staghorn sumac. Poison sumac has greenish white berries and no red clusters.

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

I've read that Bluebirds like to eat the red berries of staghorn sumac, so I've been trying to get a patch going in my yard. It's firey red leaves are so beautiful in the fall too! Great to grow native plants to help out pollinators and birds (and us!) I always remember that the red-berry sumac (staghorn) is NOT poisonous, and the white berry sumac IS poisonous.

[@kristieraynor7182]

We have a big issue with poison sumac on Long Island. Have for years...

[@rolandpalatino5934]

Poison sumac is it ailanthus altissima ?🤔

[@phillipwatson4441]

Most people can't tell the difference between virginia creeper and poison ivy or poison oak.

[@moboutmen]

I'm itching just watching this.

[@lynnglidewell7367]

Thanks for showing things that aren't poison Sumac but get mistaken for it. I don't want any kind of look alike plant on my property anyways even if not poisonous. I just don't find them attractive plants period.

[@LuMaxQFPV]

You need to put your location in the video notes. You left it out.

[@MM-rd7jm]

He said Connecticut within the first minute of the video.

[@lynnhettrick7588]

I'm in Connecticut and I thought I have poison sumac. I'm hoping to figure out what it is! It might be Tree of Heaven.

[@ralphnabozny8494]

Ruse copiolina florida

[@3PercentNeanderhal]

"this is not poison sumac"....[scratches himself]

[@russellwylie]

I thought everone knew this . In Spain they saw Tree of Heaven for lumber

[@bwiseok]

Do any of those other types of plants you were showing grow any kind of berries? I feel like I do have sumac in my pasture but it is not a swampy area. It has grown very tall but it looks more like the berries were sticking above the plants like pointing towards the sky. I can’t recall what color they were because all the plants seem to be in some type of dormancy. And if I do have poison sumac is it all right to be cutting it NowIn the month of February? I live in mid Missouri. Does sumac in general go dormant in the winter. I’ve been cutting the stuff down in my pasture and using a combination of Torridon and diesel fuel to paint each one.

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

You could have Staghorn sumac (*NOT* poisonous!)... it has clusters of red berries that point upwards and their branches are fuzzy. Please don't cut them down or destroy them! They are an important native plant that provide food (the red berries) to over 300 species of song birds, nectar from their flowers to native bees and butterflies, and even nesting sites. They have gorgeous firey red fall color and those red berries help keep our native songbirds alive through the harsh winter months. They unfortunately get destroyed all the time because people think they're the poisonous sumac... so sad because they are actually a very beautiful and beneficial plant... and NOT POISONOUS!

[@bwiseok]

@@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane wow I did not know that. Thanks for reply

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

@@bwiseok You're very welcome! I'm trying to spread the word, because these poor Staghorn sumacs get killed all the time because people think they're poisonous when they're actually very beneficial. I forgot to mention that the way to tell the difference between poisonous and not (and how I remember) is: Poison sumac has WHITE berries. Staghorn sumac (the good guy!) has red berries. There are even recipes online for a type of lemonade you can make from the red berries, but I've never tried it. We have Staghorn sumac growing around us on the roadsides, and I've been trying to get it to grow in my yard because I've been learning so much lately about the importance of native plants. We finally got a volunteer growing in our wildflower garden! Check out the work of Douglas Tallamy if that's something that interests you. It's been quite eye opening to me! Simple things I hadn't put 2 and 2 together, but make perfect sense, like songbirds need a LOT of caterpillars (he said 5,000 to 6,000 just for a family of Chickadees!) to feed their babies, and caterpillars need NATIVE plants and trees that they've evolved with over eons to eat specifically. When those native plants get replaced by invasive species, the caterpillars disappear and so do the songbirds. I don't want a world without songbirds so I'm doing what I can! I'm sitting here right now, watching a Bluebird pair check out our nesting box! 😀 Have a great day!!

[@MatthewBendyna]

Poison sumac the only poisonous sumac?

[@EatThePlanet]

As far as I know that is correct. Although I think some of the other sumacs may cause some minor dermititis. I could be wrong about that though. I didn't double-check before writing this response.

[@jackjones9460]

That is a type of Sumac and NOT poison. Normal sumac seeds have a lemon flavor and is extremely popular in Middle East food.

[@norrisvickers2383]

not true they grow any where here in cayman and jamaica and they grow big

[@mattdavis4701]

IDC I aint touching that shit. I definitely fell into some before and itched all over from that purple ended crap. Not risking it ever.

[@richiedemott2784]

So, from what I listened to, there are a couple of facts you got wrong there bud...sumac is commonly found in my state (Michigan), It can have hairs or appear fuzzy, it doesn't need swampland to grow, and the leaves can be serrated....actually thats kind of a lot you got wrong there....lol where did you learn these facts you learned..? Eagle Scouts 1982? Yeah, information has been since updated..

[@cliffbrowning84]

Everything you stated is incorrect according to anything I see in reference to POISON sumac

[@eastindiaV]

I made a sumac tonic, and when I drink it, it definitely makes me think I'm gonna puke and makes me regret my decision... BUT If I wait a bit, I'll shit out a bunch of dead bacteria and go "huh, that pain must just be the bacteria dying in agony." Then I drink more. I feel a lot better now, but it looks like I'm gonna have to drink a gallon or 2 to completely heal. I think things like sumac that used to be considered medicine are gonna be commonplace now, the way population has gone. I can't go anywhere in public now without coming home and feeling sick to the stomach. It's bacteria, and it's everywhere. We forgot about all the other illnesses during covid lol. I can taste white sumac and it just tastes spicy... could have medicinal value

[@samyoungblood3740]

Poison or not it’s impossible to kill this Tree from Hell!!

[@copperysinger5985]

not helpful beating around bush not getting to the point ; not even poison sumac

[@shdwbnndbyyt]

Tree of heaven stinks, and can grow 50 feet tall.... at least they do in Ohio.

[@hahamorehaha6869]

Indiana had a bounty on them so to speak. If you saw them on your property tear them down. I had a patch in the woods ended up taking the front loader bucket and bush hog and ran them over.

[@lotto1819]

Thank you!

[@gcnewd]

Thank you

[@Mattdylan101]

Thank you!

[@WhistleLad]

Thank you 🙏🏼