Eastern Poison Ivy vs Fragrant Sumac
These plants are sometimes confused, but can be easily distinguished easily by leaves if you know what to look for.
Eastern Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) | Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) |
A perennial woody vine that can cause an unpleasant and dangerous allergic reaction following contact with its sap. Widespread and abundant in much of its range, and highly variable in appearance. | A sprawling deciduous shrub, often growing wider than tall. |
 Middle leaflet has conspicuously long stem, much longer than side leaflets. Leaflets often irregularly coarsely toothed or lobed. Photo © Shawn Treelife, Public Domain. |  Middle leaflet attaches at the same point as side leaflets with no stem or extremely short stem. Leaflets with a few regularly-spaced teeth. Photo © Michael Ellis, CC BY 4.0. |
 Can grow as a sprawling shrub, but often climbs by aerial rootlets. Photo © botanygirl (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0. |  Always grows as a sprawling shrub; can drape over support, but never climbs surfaces. Photo © Michael Ellis, CC BY 4.0. |
 Fruit a waxy berry, whitish when ripe. Photo © botanygirl (iNaturalist), CC BY 4.0. |  Fruit a fuzzy berry, red when ripe. Photo © Nate Martineau, CC BY 4.0. |
 Flower clusters longer and less dense. Petals pulled back; orange-yellow anthers project far beyond petals, contrast with greenish-white petals. Photo © Mark, CC BY 4.0. |  Flower clusters dense and globe-shaped. Petals project forward; anthers mostly contained within petals. Little color contrast between petals and anthers; both yellow-green. Photo © Evan Barker, Public Domain. |
References & External Resources
These short lists show only links helpful for ID. For a complete list of references and resources also covering other aspects of ecology, visit the links section of the full article on each plant, which is the first entry here.
