Toxicodendron facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Toxicodendron
Two pictures of Toxicodendron radicans
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Anacardiaceae
Subfamily:	Anacardioideae
Genus:	Toxicodendron Mill.
Species
See text

Toxicodendron is a group of flowering plants. It belongs to the sumac family, called Anacardiaceae. This group includes different kinds of plants like trees, shrubs, and woody vines. Some of the most well-known plants in this group are poison ivy, poison oak, and the lacquer tree.

All plants in the Toxicodendron group make a special oil called urushiol. This oil can make your skin very itchy and cause a bad allergic reaction. The name Toxicodendron comes from two Greek words. Toxikos means "poison," and dendron means "tree."

In North America, the most famous plants from this group are poison ivy (T. radicans) and western poison oak (T. diversilobum). Poison ivy grows almost everywhere in eastern North America. Western poison oak is very common in the western part of the continent.

What are Toxicodendron Plants Like?

Plants in the Toxicodendron group have leaves that grow in a special way. Their leaves are made of smaller leaflets, and they grow one after another along the stem. They also have whitish or grayish fruits that look like small berries.

These plants can look very different from each other. Their leaves can have smooth edges, jagged edges, or even wavy edges. Sometimes, you can find all three types of leaf edges on the same plant!

Toxicodendron plants can grow in many ways. Some are vines that creep along the ground or climb up trees. Others grow as shrubs. Some, like the lacquer tree (T. vernicifluum) and poison sumac (T. vernix), can even grow into full-sized trees.

Poison ivy and poison oak usually have leaves with three small leaflets. But sometimes, they can have five or even seven leaflets. Poison sumac leaves have 7 to 13 leaflets. Lacquer tree leaves can have 7 to 19 leaflets.

Why are They Called "Poison" Plants?

The common names like "poison oak" and "poison ivy" come from how these plants look. Poison oak is not a real oak tree (which is in the Fagaceae family). It just has leaves that look a bit like white oak leaves. Poison ivy is not a real ivy plant (which is in the Araliaceae family). It just grows in a similar way.

These plants don't actually contain a poison. Instead, they have a strong allergen. An allergen is something that can cause an allergic reaction in people.

Uses of Toxicodendron Plants

Some Toxicodendron species grow in Japan, China, and other Asian countries. For example, the lacquer tree (T. vernicifluum) and wax tree (T. succedaneum) have a special sap. This sap is used to make lacquer, a very strong and shiny coating.

As a side product of making lacquer, the berries from these trees are used to make japan wax.

Candle Wax from Plants

In East Asia, especially in Japan, people traditionally made candle fuel from plants like Toxicodendron vernicifluum and Toxicodendron succedaneum. This was instead of using beeswax or animal fats. The wax from these sumac plants was a leftover from making traditional Japanese lacquer.

The candles made from sumac wax were called rousoku candles. They burned with a clean, smokeless flame. People liked them more than candles made from animal fat or beeswax during the Tokugawa shogunate period. Japan wax is not a true wax. It's a solid fat that contains different natural oils. It is still used today in some tropical and subtropical countries to make wax match sticks.

Staying Safe from Toxicodendron Plants

It's important to know how to avoid and treat rashes from Toxicodendron plants. For more detailed information on preventing and treating these rashes, you can look up Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis.

Different Types of Toxicodendron Plants

• Toxicodendron acuminatum (also called Rhus acuminata) grows in China, Bhutan, India, and Nepal.
• Toxicodendron calcicolum is a plant found only in China.
• Western poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum or Rhus diversiloba) is common in western North America. It grows from the Pacific Coast to the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Range mountain ranges. You can find it from southern British Columbia down to Baja California. It's California's most common woody shrub.
  • This plant can look very different. It grows as a thick shrub in sunny spots or as a climbing vine in shady areas. It spreads using underground stems or by seeds. Its leaves have three leaflets, which are 35–100 mm long. The edges can be wavy, toothed, or lobed. The leaves can be red, yellow, green, or a mix of these colors, depending on the time of year.
• Asian poison ivy (Toxicodendron orientale, Rhus orientale or R. ambigua) is very similar to American poison ivy. It grows across East Asia. Some experts even think it's just a type of the American species.
• Small-flowered poison sumac (Toxicodendron parviflorum or Rhus parviflora) grows in the Himalayas. You can find it between Kumaun, India, and Bhutan.
• Potanin's lacquer tree or Chinese varnish tree (Toxicodendron potaninii or Rhus potaninii) comes from central China. It's like T. vernicifluum but usually has fewer leaflets per leaf. It can grow up to 20 meters tall. Like T. vernicifluum, it's used to make lacquer. Its leaves usually have 7–9 leaflets.
• Atlantic poison oak (Toxicodendron pubescens or Rhus toxicarium) mostly grows in sandy soils in the eastern United States. It grows as a shrub, and its leaves are in groups of three. The leaves are usually rounded or lobed and have a lot of hair. People often confuse it with poison ivy. But Atlantic poison oak has small clumps of hair on the veins on the underside of its leaves, which poison ivy does not.
• Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans or Rhus radicans) is very common in some parts of North America. In the United States, it grows in all states east of the Rocky Mountains. It also grows in Central America.
  • It can appear as a vine that creeps along the ground, a vine that climbs, or a shrub. It spreads both by creeping roots and by seeds. Its look can change a lot. The leaves grow one after another, usually in groups of three. They are 20 to 50 mm long and pointed at the tip. Their edges can be toothed, smooth, or lobed, but never saw-like. The leaves can be shiny or dull, and their color changes with the season.
  • The vines grow almost straight up instead of wrapping around what they climb. They can reach 8–10 meters high. Sometimes, poison ivy can completely cover what it's growing on. The vines might even stick out like branches, making it look like a poison ivy "tree."
• Western poison ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii or Rhus rydbergii) is found in northern parts of the eastern United States. It also grows in the western United States and Canada. However, it's much less common than poison oak there. It can grow as a vine or a shrub. It was once thought to be a type of poison ivy. It sometimes mixes with the climbing species. Western poison ivy is found in much of the western and central United States and Canada, but not on the West Coast. In the eastern United States, it's rarely found south of New England.
• Manzanillo (Toxicodendron striatum or Rhus striata) is a poisonous tree from South America. It grows in tropical rain forests on low slopes. This name should not be confused with the unrelated Manchineel tree, which is also poisonous.
• Wax tree (Toxicodendron succedaneum or Rhus succedanea), originally from Asia, has been planted in other places like Australia and New Zealand. It's a large shrub or tree, up to 8 meters tall. It looks a bit like a sumac tree. People planted it outside Asia because its leaves turn beautiful colors in autumn. But they often didn't know about the risk of allergic reactions. It is now officially called a harmful weed in Australia and New Zealand.
• Toxicodendron sylvestre (or Rhus sylvestris) grows in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
• Lacquer tree or varnish tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum or Rhus verniciflua) grows in Asia, especially China and Japan. It can grow up to 20 meters tall. Its sap makes a very strong and long-lasting lacquer. The leaves have 7–19 leaflets, most often 11–13. The sap contains the oil urushiol, which causes allergies. Urushiol gets its name from this plant, which is called Urushi in Japanese. Other names for this plant include Japanese lacquer tree and Japanese Varnish Tree.
• Poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix or Rhus vernix) is a tall shrub or a small tree, 2–7 meters tall. It is found in swampy, open areas and spreads by seeds. Its leaves have between 7–13 smooth leaflets, arranged like a feather. Poison sumac is much more likely to cause urushiol-induced contact dermatitis than other Toxicodendron plants, even more than poison ivy and poison oak. Some plant experts say T. vernix is the most toxic plant in the United States.

Images for kids

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  Poison ivy plant

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  Close-up of poison ivy leaves

See also

In Spanish: Toxicodendron para niños