Trees and How to Know Them C 375 



After the leaves have fallen, you can realize why this sumac is 

 named "staghorn" when you see the upper branches widely spread 

 in the form of a stag's antlers. In the spring the new growths of 

 wood and leaf stems are covered with fine hairs, giving them a 

 velvety feel again suggestive of a stag's antlers "in velvet." 



By the time summer has arrived, the sumacs resemble giant 

 ferns with their long narrow leaf blades drooping somewhat from 

 the mid-rib. In June a shrub shows two different kinds of blos- 

 soms: one, a whitish form that bears the pollen; the other, a 

 reddish pistillate flower that later develops into the dark red 

 seed on the upright fruit cluster. 



POISON SUMAC 



One of the hazards of nature exploring is the "poison 

 sumac," which, when handled, sometimes causes painful itching 

 and swelling. You may recognize this species partly by its location 

 (swamps rather than sunny fields); by its smooth-edged leaves 

 (staghorn sumac has sharp-toothed leaves) ; and by its fruit (a 

 drooping arrangement of white berries). Any sumac with a red 

 fruit cluster is harmless. 



POISON IVY AND POISON 



Other offenders that may give us discomfort in the course 

 of outdoor exploring are poison ivy and poison oak, which belong 

 to the same family as the sumacs. As in the case of the poison 

 sumac, their foliage contains an oil that poisons the skin of many 

 people who come in contact with it. You will find poison ivy 

 climbing up trees and over walls and fences. It does so by means 

 of rootlets not by tendrils such as vines use. The poison oak, on 

 the other hand, is shrubby in form. 



Harmless vines this is especially true of the Virginia creeper- 

 are often mistaken for poison ivy although there are several ways 

 to distinguish the nonpoisonous from the poisonous plants. Poison 

 ivy is best identified by its leaflets which are shiny and arranged 

 in groups of three. The Virginia creeper leaves are grouped in 

 fives and are dull rather than shiny. When berries develop, those 

 of poison ivy are white while the Virginia creeper's are dark blue. 



