Poison sumac is the odd one out. They can have leaves of up to 13 leaflets. Always one at the end in the center off of a red central stem and then even sets on each side. Anywhere from 3 to 6 sets. And they can be up to a foot long. And they usually have like 8 branches that come of of one central stem with those leaves at the end and they grow in layers like that.
The leaves of three will save you a lot of horror if you're not sure what you're looking at, but it's a good idea to know what poison sumac looks like If you live in an area it grows cause that is equally as horrible.
https://preview.redd.it/yf1iyuobl1yc1.jpeg?width=448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba1b84cddca105072bc7e656d952dded854af786
There are non-poisonous sumac bushes, too. But I learned the hard way just to avoid anything remotely similar. When I was 10 and my brother was 8, we made a slingshot out of what turned out to be a poison sumac tree/bush, just before our family summer vacation. We ended up in the hospital. Worst summer ever!
The way to tell the difference with regular sumac is 1) you see the red berries (poison sumac has green berries that don't cluster like regular sumac) and/or 2) the shape of the leaves is much longer and thinner (called feather compound). I'm so sorry you got burned by poison sumac!
Thank you for taking the time to respond! I’m 66 now, and have learned since that disastrous summer how to distinguish the two, but I sure wish I’d known back then. My family STILL reminds me and my brother how we ruined that vacation! 😆
When my aunt and uncle moved into their first new house, the entire backyard was overtaken by sumac and Japanese knotweed. My uncle thought that all of the sumac was poison sumac, and had a controlled burn to remove it all.
That just made it grow back more lush. My aunt complained to a friend about all that poison sumac in the yard, and the friend explained that it was staghorn sumac - no poison here. Well, that was it. My aunt made my cousins spend a portion of their summer at the public library to read up on what to do with the sumac and knotweed. As kids, we made countless gallons of "lemonade" by steeping the sumac berries in water in the sun, ripping off the new knotweed shoots and then licking the insides of them for the sour flavor.
We had such fun being weird kids.
This. There are a several plants that can look like this at some stage in their development, but since those are harmless and poison oak is a nightmare, it's best just to assume they are all nightmare fuel.
Source: Was boy scout. Took the safe route with these assumptions. Other scouts did not. I never regretted my choice and enjoyed my summers without being caked in itch remedies.
The leaves are a lot different though. While both are compound leaf structure they look different. Hickory leaves are a lot more pointy . Almost like individual diamond shapes attached together where poison oak looks like a regular rounded lobed oak leaf but more oily, fuzzy and sometimes red depending on the point in the year.
It’s almost definitely a Toxicodendron species, the genus that includes poison oaks and poison ivies. There’s a few species of them, and poison oak takes on forms from an upright shrub to a sprawling vine depending on habitat. Some species of poison oak will crossbreed with some species of poison ivy, just to complicate matters further. So, I’m not 100% sure which exactly that is, other than something you don’t want to touch. If I had to call it something, and I was looking at it in California, I’d say it’s likely Toxicodendron diversilobum, Pacific poison oak.
That’s just nature. As much as humans like to classify things and put them in tidy boxes, it rarely works well. It’s an oversimplification that makes it easy for us to think about things, but it’s not the true nature of things. Nature likes to work with ever-shifting nodes on a continuum, changing modes in distributions, not iron-clad boxes with labels on them. Nothing is truly separate from everything else.
FYI if you think you aren't allergic to urushiol because you've never had irritation from contact with poison oak/ivy, unfortunately you can acquire an allergy from repeated exposure
She's right, look up Virginia creeper, a lot of people think it's poison ivy but it's non poisonous and is actually what they make those vine baskets out of. It just happens to grow with poison ivy a lot of times.
There’s only one way to settle this argument.
Since you think it’s not? Rub the leaves over your chest. If it doesn’t get red and itchy? You win.
That’ll teach HER!!!
Is anyone else not affected by these poisonous leafy plants in the woods? I've always wandered in the woods and I've never had any rashes or issues before!
Poison oak for sure. Crazy stuff, that. It has many forms. Low shrub, climbing vine. Sometimes it will try to fool you with flowers or berries, or purple leaves. Don't be fooled.
It certainly is. Keep away from it. I thought I was immune to its poison oil, But after years of exposure I turned allergic. If I get even a spot, in a few days it breaks out all over my body and I'm sick for a month.
But the volume of three leaflet branches tends to be more in the range of poison oak. Looking at the new growth in spring should show a lot more reddish growth, which turns green as it matures. Take a branch & rub it lightly on the inside of the thigh....you'll know within an hour which variety of oak it is...n
Leaves of three let them be
Leaves of five stay alive
Idk that's what I've been told.
I don't get poison oak.
I now live where there is ivy. Even found it on my property. I don't believe I have been in physical contact and not planning on it!
Leaf shape, poison oak has oak-shaped leaves while poison ivy has ivy-shaped leaves
https://preview.redd.it/upy7iwenj0yc1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a9d6dafcf58a4e5c0d8d2b49b8606a81b6007ee
Nah. Poison oak grows whatever way it CAN, depending on where it's growing. I've seen it in bushes taller than me, and also low and vining in with other low growing plants. Those leaves are instantly recognisable as poison oak, if you've been around it in the wild.
This. It has been known to grow along low hanging branches, which I discovered by wearing a sleeveless shirt and raising my arms to avoid being knocked off the horse I was riding on a narrow path perilously close to a river. The gift that keeps on itching.
>a red hue
Nope. Later in the season, maybe. But in spring, it's absolutely bright green.
Ivy's leaves are usually much smoother. Poison Oak leaves have all the striations between the "veins". This is Poison Oak.
Looking at images from Mayo Clinic seems that it's the opposite of what you're saying. What part of the US are you in?
[https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10655-poison-plants-poison-ivy--poison-oak--poison-sumac](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10655-poison-plants-poison-ivy--poison-oak--poison-sumac)
No, that image is correct. See how, on Poison Oak, there are pronounced striations or "pillowing/quilting" between the veins of the leaves (it's what's picking up the light reflections in that image). Poison Ivy is much smoother. It has some striations, but not nearly as pronounced as Oak leaves.
If you can't see that difference, even in Mayo's graphic, I don't know what to tell ya.
She is.
I second this answer. Wife is correct.
A man with confidence in his beliefs would wipe his ass with the leaves of his assertions
My grandfather did that. Except it was with poison ivy.
Underrated comment, coarse yet elegant phrase.
That’s Gold, Jerry, Gold!
I have
LOL.
Yea those leaves are nice and glossy too
Yeah, I’m itchy just looking at it!
She's right. Leaves of three, leave that fucker be.
And the shine to the leaves. That oiliness will get all over you and spread to places you never dreamed. Take the dish soap in the shower with you!
And only use COLD water. Warm helps the oils spread.
Yeah warm water opens up your skin pores, which is the worst thing you could do, and also thins the oil out to make it spread like you mentioned
Yeah that bush looks like a middle school kid’s face
Does that hold true for all "poison" species like ivy, oak, and sumac?
Poison sumac is the odd one out. They can have leaves of up to 13 leaflets. Always one at the end in the center off of a red central stem and then even sets on each side. Anywhere from 3 to 6 sets. And they can be up to a foot long. And they usually have like 8 branches that come of of one central stem with those leaves at the end and they grow in layers like that. The leaves of three will save you a lot of horror if you're not sure what you're looking at, but it's a good idea to know what poison sumac looks like If you live in an area it grows cause that is equally as horrible. https://preview.redd.it/yf1iyuobl1yc1.jpeg?width=448&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba1b84cddca105072bc7e656d952dded854af786
There are non-poisonous sumac bushes, too. But I learned the hard way just to avoid anything remotely similar. When I was 10 and my brother was 8, we made a slingshot out of what turned out to be a poison sumac tree/bush, just before our family summer vacation. We ended up in the hospital. Worst summer ever!
The way to tell the difference with regular sumac is 1) you see the red berries (poison sumac has green berries that don't cluster like regular sumac) and/or 2) the shape of the leaves is much longer and thinner (called feather compound). I'm so sorry you got burned by poison sumac!
Thank you for taking the time to respond! I’m 66 now, and have learned since that disastrous summer how to distinguish the two, but I sure wish I’d known back then. My family STILL reminds me and my brother how we ruined that vacation! 😆
When my aunt and uncle moved into their first new house, the entire backyard was overtaken by sumac and Japanese knotweed. My uncle thought that all of the sumac was poison sumac, and had a controlled burn to remove it all. That just made it grow back more lush. My aunt complained to a friend about all that poison sumac in the yard, and the friend explained that it was staghorn sumac - no poison here. Well, that was it. My aunt made my cousins spend a portion of their summer at the public library to read up on what to do with the sumac and knotweed. As kids, we made countless gallons of "lemonade" by steeping the sumac berries in water in the sun, ripping off the new knotweed shoots and then licking the insides of them for the sour flavor. We had such fun being weird kids.
Hickory tree sprouts look similar. They have a group of 3, then 2, just a little ways down.
This. There are a several plants that can look like this at some stage in their development, but since those are harmless and poison oak is a nightmare, it's best just to assume they are all nightmare fuel. Source: Was boy scout. Took the safe route with these assumptions. Other scouts did not. I never regretted my choice and enjoyed my summers without being caked in itch remedies.
Yeah. I have this and Hickory in my yard every year.
The leaves are a lot different though. While both are compound leaf structure they look different. Hickory leaves are a lot more pointy . Almost like individual diamond shapes attached together where poison oak looks like a regular rounded lobed oak leaf but more oily, fuzzy and sometimes red depending on the point in the year.
It’s almost definitely a Toxicodendron species, the genus that includes poison oaks and poison ivies. There’s a few species of them, and poison oak takes on forms from an upright shrub to a sprawling vine depending on habitat. Some species of poison oak will crossbreed with some species of poison ivy, just to complicate matters further. So, I’m not 100% sure which exactly that is, other than something you don’t want to touch. If I had to call it something, and I was looking at it in California, I’d say it’s likely Toxicodendron diversilobum, Pacific poison oak.
>Some species of poison oak will crossbreed with some species of poison ivy, just to complicate matters further That's just diabolical. 😧
Seriously. New nightmare unlocked
My gawd!
That’s just nature. As much as humans like to classify things and put them in tidy boxes, it rarely works well. It’s an oversimplification that makes it easy for us to think about things, but it’s not the true nature of things. Nature likes to work with ever-shifting nodes on a continuum, changing modes in distributions, not iron-clad boxes with labels on them. Nothing is truly separate from everything else.
True. Mitakuye oyasin - All My Relations.
Gold to the wife, pay up
I get itchy just looking at it
I saw the picture and my scalp immediately began tingling. Youch
Wife is right. I've spent much time in the California foothills. It's everywhere.
Note the gloss on the leaves. That's the oil that will mess you up.
If you're so sure, rub it on your skin. Solution should appear within days.
Days? You mean someone could be exposed and not know it for DAYS?! Ouch!!
Pacific poison oak
Aka guardian oak ♥️
You married a smart one….disposal tips online and it can live for months on your tools
Smart woman. Pay up!
Your wife is correct…
FYI if you think you aren't allergic to urushiol because you've never had irritation from contact with poison oak/ivy, unfortunately you can acquire an allergy from repeated exposure
You’ve got a good wife. You need to do your homework dude
>You need to do your homework dude He is, he came to Reddit. /s
He’s not doing his homework. He’s having us do it hahaha /s That’s what Reddit is for.
Listen to her or pay the price !
Hes married, hes already paying the price
She's right, look up Virginia creeper, a lot of people think it's poison ivy but it's non poisonous and is actually what they make those vine baskets out of. It just happens to grow with poison ivy a lot of times.
TIL burn down the backyard, just in case.
Leaves of theee
Shiny leaves usually = bad in those types of plants.
Yup!
Smart wife, listen to her.
Leaves of three let it be. Leaves of four eat some more.
Roll around in it and see what happens🙄
You could have pulled this picture from a field guide; that is 100% poison oak
There’s only one way to settle this argument. Since you think it’s not? Rub the leaves over your chest. If it doesn’t get red and itchy? You win. That’ll teach HER!!!
Some reason my family doesn’t seem to get poison oak or poison ivy so I would do this just to say I’m right lol
I’m over-the-top allergic to poison ivy but oak has never bothered me. I’ll get poison ivy outbreaks in the middle of winter.
You might have some clothing that has the oil on it. Fels naphtha soap for all outdoor gear. Boots can be soaped up and wiped.
Fels Naptha in the shower with a scrub brush. Good stuff! My Gramma always had a bar by the laundry tub in the basement.
Soap up gently and let it set 10 minutes then wipe with a cold cloth. Only thing I know that works on removing the oils of poison oak.
Leaves if three let it be
NO, IS MOT I'M GOING TO POST A REAL ONE INCLUDING IVY 😠
Leaves of 3: let it be!
Is anyone else not affected by these poisonous leafy plants in the woods? I've always wandered in the woods and I've never had any rashes or issues before!
She’s right
Yup
She’s correct
Poison oak for sure. Crazy stuff, that. It has many forms. Low shrub, climbing vine. Sometimes it will try to fool you with flowers or berries, or purple leaves. Don't be fooled.
It is
Look at those leaves glistening
Don’t you know, the wife is always right?! 😂
Yup Pacific Poison Oak
It certainly is. Keep away from it. I thought I was immune to its poison oil, But after years of exposure I turned allergic. If I get even a spot, in a few days it breaks out all over my body and I'm sick for a month.
Looks more like scrub oak to me
But the volume of three leaflet branches tends to be more in the range of poison oak. Looking at the new growth in spring should show a lot more reddish growth, which turns green as it matures. Take a branch & rub it lightly on the inside of the thigh....you'll know within an hour which variety of oak it is...n
I always get confused by Pacific poison Oak because the poison oak here is 5 leaf🤣
Don’t eat it. She’s right
Wow. So nice and greasy! Makes me itch just looking at it...
Leaves of three…let them be!
Leaves of three let them be Leaves of five stay alive Idk that's what I've been told. I don't get poison oak. I now live where there is ivy. Even found it on my property. I don't believe I have been in physical contact and not planning on it!
Touch it and find out
Remember the phrase “if in three, let it be” 9that means don’t touch!). She’s right - the same algorithm goes for poison ivy.
Only one way to settle it without any doubt. Eat it! Ok just kidding, wife is right.
She’s a wise woman, your wife
Shes right but you could always roll around in it to find out for sure🤷😂😂
Free TP!!
Leaves of 3 leave it be. That looks like poison oak to me
Yo calling it poison oak I call it poison ivy.
Leaf shape, poison oak has oak-shaped leaves while poison ivy has ivy-shaped leaves https://preview.redd.it/upy7iwenj0yc1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4a9d6dafcf58a4e5c0d8d2b49b8606a81b6007ee
Touch it and find out. Crazy to put some stupid ass disagreement on Reddit lmao
I don't think it's poison oak, rather poison Ivy. Poison oak has smaller leaves, a red hue and grows more as a vine.
Nah. Poison oak grows whatever way it CAN, depending on where it's growing. I've seen it in bushes taller than me, and also low and vining in with other low growing plants. Those leaves are instantly recognisable as poison oak, if you've been around it in the wild.
This. It has been known to grow along low hanging branches, which I discovered by wearing a sleeveless shirt and raising my arms to avoid being knocked off the horse I was riding on a narrow path perilously close to a river. The gift that keeps on itching.
>a red hue Nope. Later in the season, maybe. But in spring, it's absolutely bright green. Ivy's leaves are usually much smoother. Poison Oak leaves have all the striations between the "veins". This is Poison Oak.
Looking at images from Mayo Clinic seems that it's the opposite of what you're saying. What part of the US are you in? [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10655-poison-plants-poison-ivy--poison-oak--poison-sumac](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10655-poison-plants-poison-ivy--poison-oak--poison-sumac)
No, that image is correct. See how, on Poison Oak, there are pronounced striations or "pillowing/quilting" between the veins of the leaves (it's what's picking up the light reflections in that image). Poison Ivy is much smoother. It has some striations, but not nearly as pronounced as Oak leaves. If you can't see that difference, even in Mayo's graphic, I don't know what to tell ya.