Family: Anacardiaceae, Cashew view all from this family

Description Poisonous yet attractive narrow-crowned shrub or small tree with waxy whitish berries and dramatic fall foliage.
Height: 25' (7.6 m).
Diameter: 6" (15 cm).
Leaves: pinnately compound; 7-12" (18-30 cm) long; with reddish axis. 5-13 leaflets 2 1/2-3 1/2" (6-9 cm) long; paired except at end; ovate or elliptical; without teeth; short-stalked. Shiny dark green above, paler and slightly hairy beneath; turning scarlet or orange in early autumn.
Bark: gray or blackish; thin; smooth or slightly fissured.
Twigs: reddish when young, turning gray with many orange dots; hairless.
Flowers: 1/8" (3 mm) long; with 5 greenish petals; many, in long, open, branching clusters to 8" (20 cm) long; male and female on same or separate plants; in early summer.
Fruit: 1/4" (6 mm) in diameter; rounded and slightly flat; whitish, 1-seeded, shiny and hairless; numerous, in drooping branched clusters; maturing in early autumn and often remaining attached until spring.

Warning One of the most dangerous North American plants. The clear, very toxic sap turns black on exposure and, for many people, causes a severe skin rash upon contact.

Habitat Wet soil of swamps, bogs, seepage slopes, and frequently flooded areas; in shady hardwood forests.

Range Extreme S. Quebec and Maine south to central Florida, west to E. Texas, and north to SE. Minnesota; mostly confined to Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains and Great Lakes region; to 1000' (305 m).

Discussion A black varnish can be made from the sap, as in a related Japanese species. The fruit of Poison Sumac is not toxic to birds or animals and is consumed by many kinds of wildlife, such as bobwhites, pheasants, grouse, and rabbits, especially in winter, when other food is scarce.