Toxicodendron vernix, commonly known as poison sumac,[4] or swamp-sumach,[5] is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 9 metres (30 feet) tall.

These are oval-to-oblong; acuminate (tapering to a sharp point); cuneate (wedge-shaped) at the base; undulate (wavy-edged); with an underside that is glabrous (hairless) or slightly pubescent (down-like hair) beneath.

Poison sumac grows exclusively in wet and clay soils, usually in swamps and peat bogs, in the eastern United States and extreme southeast Canada.

[4] The fruit and leaves of the poison sumac plant contain urushiol, an oil that causes an allergic rash upon contact with skin.

[6] In the worst case, smoke inhaled by burning poison sumac leads to life-threatening pulmonary edema whereby fluid enters the alveoli.