More Threatening Than Poison Ivy, Getting Rid of Poison Sumac on Your Property
Quick Facts
- Poison sumac contains urushiol oil, which causes what is believed to be the most common allergen in the U.S.
- Unlike most trees its roots only grow in water, making it less common than poison ivy or poison oak – but its potential to cause an allergic reaction is far more severe.
- Every year, nearly 50 million Americans develop a rash after contact with poison sumac, poison oak or poison ivy.
- All parts of the poison sumac plant are poisonous to the touch, including the bark.
- Urushiol can stay active on any surface for up to five years – including on dead plants, yard tools and garden gloves.
Problem/Diagnosis
Poison sumac grows in the eastern U.S. and Canada, only in wet or flooded soils, usually near swamps or peat bogs. It can grow as far west as Idaho.
Poison sumac can grow in the form of a woody shrub or small tree that can get up to 20 feet tall. The leaves are generally smooth and oblong, with seven to 13 growing on each stem. The leaves start out orange and somewhat furry, then become smooth, shiny and dark green, with prominent veins and pale undersides. The leaves turn orange and scarlet in the fall. Small white or gray berries grow between the leaves and the branches on poison sumac, but on the non-poisonous forms, the fruit grows from the ends of the branches.
More than half the population is allergic to urushiol oil — the sticky, resin-like substance found inside poison sumac that causes the rash, blisters and itch. It only takes 1 billionth of a gram of urushiol oil to cause a rash — 500 people could itch from the amount that would fit on the head of a pin. Urushiol oil is found in all parts of the plant, even the bark.
Never burn poison sumac – the oil can spread through the smoke, getting into the noses, throats or lungs of anyone nearby or downwind. Breathing the smoke can kill you.
Solution
How can you take control of poison sumac on your property before it becomes a danger to your family? Keep your lawn and fence line clear and trimmed, especially near water, and cut back the undesirable plants every time you see green growth. Bayer Advanced™ Brush Killer Plus Concentrate and Bayer Advanced™ Brush Killer Plus Ready-To-Use are easy-to-use alternatives that kill the brush down to the roots so they won’t come back. It controls poison sumac and 70 other types of weeds and brush roots and all and it starts working in just one day.
Brush Killer Plus is available in both a concentrate and a ready-to-use, no-mix formula with nested sprayer for easy application and neat storage. Always wear protective clothing when working near poison sumac.
Always read and follow label instructions.
Products Mentioned In This Article
Bayer Advanced
