# Is this plant poison sumac? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-plant-poison-sumac/585664 "2011-06-16T04:32:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-plant-poison-sumac/585664/1 "2011-06-16T04:32:56Z")
[This plant is growing in a friend’s yard.](https://picasaweb.google.com/106096827758847568579/Jun16201103?authkey=Gv1sRgCMbcpcCXvYy9bg#) She’s afraid that it’s poison sumac. Looking at [some pictures of poison sumac](http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/tove.html) I’m not sure but it sure looks close. Is it close enough to put on the hazard suit to remove it? It’s definitely not regular sumac. Region: Western Pennsylvania. thanks. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-plant-poison-sumac/585664/2 "2011-06-16T04:54:37Z")
I don’t think so. Look at the hairy, fuzzy stems on the suspect plant. Aren’t those hairy pods hanging there? Your link says poison sumac has white berries, not pods, and the pictures show no hairy stems. Look at the marked difference in the leaflet shape between the two plants. I’m pretty sure the plant in question is some sort of legume, maybe a _Mimosa_ species. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-plant-poison-sumac/585664/3 "2011-06-16T04:59:22Z")
I’m never been up close and familiar with poison sumac, it doesn’t grow around here as far as I know, but two things stick out to me while comparing those photos. 1) the branches in the plant in your photos are fuzzy, like caterpillar fuzzy. On the poison sumac page, the branches are smooth. 2) The poison sumac page mentions that the small branches the leaves actually grow from are distinctively red, especially at their base where they sprout from the trunk. That doesn’t exactly look the case with your plant; the fuzz is red but the sprigs are green. My guess would be it’s not poison sumac, but then I’m not the one who has to try to get rid of it. If you’re not comfortable, then glove up and take care to wash up completely after removing it, and I do mean completely. I say this as someone just healing up from a poison ivy rash, when I know damned well what the stuff looks like, and I simply missed spotting a sprig while weeding, and found it later as I was gathering stuff up to put in the bin. I scrubbed well I thought, and still got a patch on my wrist. Also, just did a google search and found [this page](http://grumpygardener.southernliving.com/grumpy_gardener/2010/10/dont-fear-sumac.html): > [@](#): > > Telling Good Sumac from Poison Sumac > > 1. Good sumac is common. Poison sumac is rare. > > 2. Good sumac likes dry soil. Poison sumac likes wet soil. > > 3. **Good sumac may have fuzzy branches. Poison sumac never will.** > > 4. Good sumac has red fruits. Poison sumac has white fruits. > > 5. **Good sumac has green leaf stems. Poison sumac has bright red leaf stems.** Hopefully, that’s enough of an answer. ---
**Author:** ![jeffsdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/aca169/32.png) [@jeffsdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeffsdad)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-plant-poison-sumac/585664/4 "2011-06-16T06:10:26Z")
This plant is Robinia, probably hispida. A locust, in the legume family. You can see the bean pods on one of the pics. ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-plant-poison-sumac/585664/5 "2011-06-16T14:04:55Z")
Yep, some kind of locust. You can tell by the seedpods and the rounded leaflets. The leaflets on sumacs are long-pointed and there aren’t so many of them. Poison sumac grows in swampy areas so I think you’re safe. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-plant-poison-sumac/585664/6 "2011-06-16T14:30:56Z")
I’m in western PA as well, and the pics look like a locust as others have commented. ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2011, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-plant-poison-sumac/585664/7 "2011-06-17T12:19:23Z")
Thanks so much. I was offline all day yesterday. I thought the red fuzzy stuff was suspicious but it turns out to be the plant’s redemption! I also thought that it maybe didn’t have the berries because it was immature. thanks again.