Scott's Favorite Shrub: Poison Sumac

This rather beautiful shrub can be the source of great misery for those who are sensitive to it. The rash and itching are severe...extremely, profoundly severe. If Scott N. finds out you are sensitive to Poison Sumac, he will take you to places where it grows by the hundreds of thousands. And after you limbo and crawl under it for 3 or 4 miles, he'll casually let you know "they have rattlesnakes here."

Poison Sumac - Rhus vernix

Toxicodendron radicans it is

Dana and Justin correctly identified the frozen branch as that of Toxicodendron radicans.

This is how it grows on the fence along the southern boundary of our property...



... and here are a few of the remaining, nutritious fruits that are eaten and then spread by a variety of birds...



This probably explains why the plant has this shrubby growth around all of our fence posts. The birds eat the fruit, sit on the post, and poop out the seeds; then the plant grows up along the post. Urushiol, the chemical that causes the itchy rash in people, is not poisonous to birds.

Toxicodendron means "poison tree," and radicans means "rooting along the stem." Can you believe that there is a cultivated variety of poison ivy with variegated leaves?

The Deep Freeze Plant Quiz

If you hadn't heard, we had a bit of freezing rain the other day. Cold, wet weather is certainly no reason to stay indoors! Knowing few boundaries, I have posted the next plant quiz.



Yeah, that's how I roll.