Maybe we should start calling this (Toxicodendron vernix) “Poison Ash” instead of “Poison Sumac.” That way, when I make a video about true Sumac, I don’t have to receive 1000s of comments saying, “Aren’t those poisonous?!”. What do you think? #sumac #rhus #poisonsumac #toxicodendron #fraxinus #ash #plantidentification #botany | Feral Foraging

Unfortunately due to naming, many people think only of “poison” sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) instead of the edible species in the Rhus genus when they think of wild sumac. Thankfully, it couldn’t be easier to tell the difference. Poison sumac with have smooth-edged leaflets and both smooth and staghorn sumac will have serrated edges. Dwarf sumac does also have smooth edges, but it also has the presence of that “leafy” inner part along the stem between leaflets. If we’re talking about the berries