\u00a9 2020 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. A rash that’s spreading over more than 30% of your body, a high fever, extreme swelling, and trouble breathing all are signs you should seek emergency care. ", description of the leaves, berries and bark. The leaves have a wavy edge, and the undersides are either hairless (glabrous) or have down-like hair (pubescent). Happily, their leaves differ in a few ways, so you should have no trouble telling them apart; while, even in winter (when there are no leaves), you can tell the two apart by inspecting their twigs: The leaflets of poison sumac have smooth margins; those of staghorn sumac are toothed. ", "Learned what it looks like and how to treat it.". The most common symptom from contact with the plant is a painful skin rash, often with sores and blisters. Poison sumac can be distinguished from harmless sumac by its drooping clusters of green berries. "I knew what poison ivy looked like, and after I developed a rash on my ankles, I guessed poison sumac. New bark on poison sumac is a light gray color that darkens as the plant ages. It depends on the size of the growth and how aggressive you are about spraying it with herbicide. ", "This is scary stuff. You should wash the location with soap and hot water, remove and wash the clothes you were wearing, and take a shower. Poison sumac roots are pretty shallow. The new bark on the branches is relatively smooth. Did not know to use alcohol or that it grew as a tree! I will read it again several times. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. If you think that your animal is ill or may have ingested a poisonous substance, contact your local veterinarian or our 24-hour emergency poison hotline directly at 1-888-426-4435. This article has been viewed 841,905 times. It is most commonly found in wooded swampy areas. They may range from orange to green to red. Cut through the sumac trunk as near to ground level as possible, using loppers for sprouts or small trees with a diameter under 1 1/2 inches and a saw for larger trees. ", so of them, and another plant I thought was poisonous wasn't! This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. ", cream flowers. All parts of the tree contain urushiol, an oily toxin that can cause severe dermatitis within 12 to 24 hours. As a last resort, you can use herbicide to get rid of poison sumac. Likewise, ingesting the plant can cause inflammation in your gastrointestinal tract. It's called \"allergic contact dermatitis\" because the rash is caused by contact with a substance to which you're allergic. However, the toxicity of poison sumac makes it unadvisable for use in landscape applications. The plant produces small clusters of yellow-green flowers in the late spring and early summer, which turn to yellowish-white berries that remain through fall and even winter. However, these products often contain dangerous chemicals that can harm people, animals, and nearby plants. This image is not<\/b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. Inhaling the oil from poison sumac plants can cause serious respiratory harm, or even death. It can take several days to several weeks for the poison sumac to disappear. Poison sumac is rare and grows in moist woodland areas or near streams. Do not burn any of the plant materials because the smoke can irritate your lungs and cause a rash if it comes into contact with your skin. of Health and Human Services, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d4\/Identify-Poison-Sumac-Step-10-Version-4.jpg\/v4-460px-Identify-Poison-Sumac-Step-10-Version-4.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d4\/Identify-Poison-Sumac-Step-10-Version-4.jpg\/aid1611080-v4-728px-Identify-Poison-Sumac-Step-10-Version-4.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"