Monday – The Botany Lesson

[ninanevermore]

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I have a huge yard, front and back. It has a lot of things growing in it, including trees. I have at least a half dozen varieties of oak, two varieties of pine, a red maple, lots of yaupons, some sweet gums, an ash, peach trees, a pear tree, some Chinese tallow, some creep myrtles, and several things I can’t identify but I’m always willing to learn. On Saturday I saw a new comer growing beside the fence and I wanted to know if it was friend (something pretty that will add to the ambiance of my yard) or foe (something weedy and undesirable), so I did what I always do: I plucked off some leaves and took them in the house so I could research their origin on the computer.

Needle-like leaves; scale-like leaves; or broad, flat leaves? the website asked.

Broad and flat, I told it.

Compound leaves or simples leaves?

The leaves in my hand grew in a little organized bunch, rather than a la carte. I clicked on “compound.”

Palmately (the leaflets grow from the end of the stalk), or pinnately (the leaflets from several places along the stalk)?

I looked at the leaves in my hand and clicked on “pinnately.”

Leaflet margins smooth near base, but coarsely toothed beyond base; leaflet margins are smooth; or leaflet margins toothed, at least at base?

Smooth.

Leaves are singly compound, or at least some leaves doubly compound (i.e. leaflets within a leaflet)?

Singly compound.

Leaflets are tapered to a V-shaped point at both ends, or leaflets are not tapered to a V-shaped point at both ends and are rounded at one end or both ends on most leaves?

Tapered to a V.

At last, trough the wonders of the internet, I could learn what wonder of nature was growing in my back yard and what exactly I had been holding in my hand for the last 10 minutes.

The answer came with a lot of bold print and exclamation points. If a botany webpage can be hysterical, this one certainly was.

Poison! Do Not Touch! Look at a tree book if necessary, but learn how to know this dangerous tree before you touch any sumac! The Poison Sumac tree generally is somewhat taller than the Dwarf Sumac, but smaller than the Staghorn Sumac. All parts of the tree, including the sap, are poisonous! One author describes this poison as "a violent skin irritant," and he says that "Some persons are more susceptible to the poison than others." Another author describes this as "One of the most dangerous North American plants [that] for many people, causes a rash upon contact." And it must be noted that any contact from the Poison Sumac with eyes, mouth, or nostrils would be extremely dangerous! In any case, a person who even suspects contact with any part of the Poison Sumac plant should wash the exposed skin at once and thoroughly with strong soap and water. A physician's advice should be sought as well. Since the tree often is considered to be attractive, some people might be tempted to transplant it as an ornamental. That would be a very unwise thing to do! Poison! Do Not Touch!

I looked down at the leaves I was holding and sighed.

And so it goes.


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Comments

[simplecity2htwn.livejournal.com]

*chuckle*

:::passing you the aloe cream:::

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

A thorough scrub down with soap and water did the trick. I missed a spot on my elbow that started to itch later (I think I set the leaves on the desk and put my elbow on them without realized it), but once I washed again the rash went away.

It was a good lesson: I'll recognize the stuff next time.

[magsmom.livejournal.com]

you could have your picture inserted with the caption DON"T DO THIS - or the ever pleasing red circle with the line through it.

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

I still say the easiest way to figure out the species of a tree is to bring part of it inside. Most of the time, they are harmless.

Just not always.

[writingmoments.livejournal.com]

I knew there was a reason that gardening isn't my favorite thing. It's interesting sure but there apparently are hazards!

(I hope the rash heals soon!!!)

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

I washed the sap off and didn't get too bad of a rash. Lucky for me, I'm not deadly allergic to that kind of stuff. I'm just glad I didn't rub my eyes. Yikes!

[jessnhalinda.livejournal.com]

At least you didn't pick it while already knowing it was poison. My little sister did that once. I guess she figured she had already been accidentally exposed so why not bring it home and see what specific kind of poison it was. She got a really bad rash, and as far as I know, hasn't picked any leaves since.

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

Now that I know the stuff on sight, the closest I'll come to touching it will be asking my husband to don some gloves and kindly get rid of the wretched tree. :P

[suspiria.livejournal.com]

Oh noes!!

[neanahe.livejournal.com]

The thing with lessons learned the hard way is that you tend to learn them so much better. For the life of me, I can't remember what kind of oak tree that is at the corner of my house, but poison sumac is a tree I will remember on sight for the rest of my life.

[suspiria.livejournal.com]

So true!