Anacardiaceae

Poison sumac

Toxicodendron vernix Kuntze

Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Toxicodendron

Pet and kid safety: not checked yet. Check pet-safe plants

Poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) — FlowerPhoto: Jody Shugart, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist

Is yours looking unwell? Scan your plant — free

Common names

By language (11)

Arabic: عنزب
Belarusian: Сумах лакавы
Chinese: 东美毒漆, 毒漆
Dutch: Poison sumac
English: Poison sumac
Japanese: トクシコデンドゥロン・ヴェルニクス
nv: Kʼįįʼ báhádzidígíí
Persian: سماق سمی
Russian: Токсикодендрон лаковый
Serbian (Latin): Otrovni ruj
Turkish: Toksikodendron vernix

Synonyms

Rhus aequalis Pers.
Rhus venenata DC.
Rhus vernix L.

Flowers

In flower: June (from 225 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit: Shrub, Tree
Lifespan: Perennial
In the US and Canada: Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native

Photos

FlowerPhoto: Jody Shugart, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Laura Clark, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Michelle W. （鍾偉瑋）, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FlowerPhoto: Scott Ward, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
FruitPhoto: Douglas Goldman, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FruitPhoto: bobkennedy, CC BY-SA 4.0, from iNaturalist
FruitPhoto: Tom Norton, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
LeavesPhoto: jyoung2399, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist
Photo: John Barber, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Catherine Zold, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Pl@ntNet via GBIF
Photo: James H. Miller & Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: James H. Miller & Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0, from Wikimedia Commons

More in Toxicodendron

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.