Toxicodendron vernix

Poison sumac
Poison sumac leaves

Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Toxicodendron
Species:
T. vernix
Binomial name
Toxicodendron vernix
Synonyms[3]
List
    • Rhus aequalis Pers.
    • Rhus venenata DC.
    • Rhus vernix L.

Toxicodendron vernix, commonly known as poison sumac,[4] or swamp-sumach,[5] is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 9 metres (30 feet) tall.[6][7] It was previously known as Rhus vernix. This plant is also known as thunderwood, particularly where it occurs in the southern United States.

All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans. Urushiol is the same chemical that poison ivy is covered in. When the plant is burned, inhalation of the smoke may cause the rash to appear on the lining of the lungs, causing extreme pain and possibly fatal respiratory difficulty.

  1. ^ Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Toxicodendron vernix". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T64325354A67731112. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T64325354A67731112.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Toxicodendron vernix (L.) Kuntze". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  4. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Toxicodendron vernix​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. ^ Kalm, Pehr (1772). Travels into North America: containing its natural history, and a circumstantial account of its plantations and agriculture in general, with the civil, ecclesiastical and commercial state of the country, the manners of the inhabitants, and several curious and important remarks on various subjects. Translated by Johann Reinhold Forster. London: T. Lowndes. p. 60. ISBN 9780665515002. OCLC 1083889360.
  6. ^ Keeler, Harriet L. (1900). Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 94–96.
  7. ^ Rucker, Colby. "Tall Trees of Maryland". Maryland's Tallest Native Tree Species. Retrieved 20 January 2012.