OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Malvids: Sapindales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Toxicodendron vernix   FAMILY Anacardiaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Toxicodendron vernix   FAMILY Anacardiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)

Toxicodendron vernix

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)

Toxicodendron vernix

SYNONYMOUS WITH Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)

Toxicodendron vernix

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 110-01-001:

Rhus vernix   FAMILY Anacardiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Toxicodendron vernix

 

COMMON NAME:
Poison Sumac, Thunderwood


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905)    mtna_i_696

        

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_tove_001_lvd

        

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide    pnd_tove_004_lvd

        

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm190520_8547

May    Greenville County    SC

Flowers in branched elongate spreading to arching sprays from leaf axils, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm190520_8548

May    Greenville County    SC

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm160624_100

June    Greenville County    SC

Leaf stalks and young twigs nearly always reddish, per Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995).

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm160624_104

June    Greenville County    SC

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm160707_226

July    Spartanburg County    SC

Chinquapin Greenway

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm160707_226b

July    Spartanburg County    SC

Chinquapin Greenway

Leaves with 7-13 elliptic, oblong or oblanceolate, entire leaflets, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).


click here to see other plants that look similar to this COMPARE leaves of Sumac and Tree-of-heaven

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_t_vernix_poisonsumac

July        

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm091017_110

October    Sumter County    SC

Manchester State Forest

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm091017_113

October    Sumter County    SC

Manchester State Forest

Fruits glabrous, light-colored to almost white, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm091017_114

October    Sumter County    SC

Manchester State Forest

Flowers and fruit axillary (vs. terminal in non-poisonous Rhus species), per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm201022_7896

October    Greenville County    SC

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

JK Marlow    jkm231019_6108

October    Greenville County    SC

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

Will Stuart    wil_10414900785

October    Chesterfield County    SC

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

Will Stuart    wil_10415134543

October    Chesterfield County    SC

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

Will Stuart    wil_10450293683

October    Chesterfield County    SC

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

The leaves turn a very attractive shade of orange-red in autumn, per Weakley's Flora (2023).

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

Will Stuart    wil_10492821633

October    Chesterfield County    SC

Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge

Even on this young plant, leaves are easily 30cm long and leaflets 6cm long. — Will Stuart

image of Toxicodendron vernix, Poison Sumac, Thunderwood

Patrick D. McMillan    pdmtvernix_sb1

Month Unknown        

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Toxicodendron vernix   FAMILY Anacardiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Toxicodendron vernix   FAMILY Anacardiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Toxicodendron vernix

SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Toxicodendron vernix

SYNONYMOUS WITH Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Toxicodendron vernix

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 110-01-001:
Rhus vernix   FAMILY Anacardiaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Toxicodendron vernix

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

1242

Shrub; Tree
Perennial

Habitat: In peaty habitats, in the Coastal Plain frequent in streamhead pocosins and sandhill seepage bogs, in the mountains in bogs, per Weakley's Flora

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Uncommon in Coastal Plain, rare in Piedmont & Mountains

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Has milky sap (latex)

LEAVES:
Deciduous
Odd-pinnately compound: 7-13 leaflets
Alternate

FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish-yellow/White
4-5 sepals
4-5 petals
4-5 stamens
Usually bisexual

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
White/Gray
Drupe

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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