# Atlantic Poison Oak (Toxicodendron pubescens)

> Atlantic poison oak, Toxicodendron pubescens: a plant of 2 to 10 feet for zones 5 to 9, where it grows, the natives it is mistaken for, and how to handle it.

Blue Whale Trees, a native tree nursery in the United States. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/species/atlantic-poison-oak/

![A leaf of Atlantic poison oak: three green leaflets with rounded lobes like an oak leaf, over pale ground](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/species/atlantic-poison-oak-1000.jpg?v=57fef75e "An Atlantic poison oak leaf, its three leaflets lobed like a white oak's. It grows on dry, sandy ground from New Jersey to Florida and west to eastern Texas.")
*Photo: Robert H. Mohlenbrock, [Public domain](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AToxicodendron_pubescens.jpg) ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AToxicodendron_pubescens.jpg))*

Shrub, 2 to 10 feet, zones 5 to 9; full sun or part shade; dry or average ground.

We do not grow Atlantic poison oak, and it is not in our shop. This page is for telling it from the natives we grow.

## At a glance

| Fact | Atlantic Poison Oak |
| --- | --- |
| Other names | Eastern poison oak, poison oak |
| Form | Shrub |
| Height, feet | 2 to 10 |
| Zones | 5 to 9 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry or average ground |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Fall color, wildlife value |
| Flowers | March to June |
| Fruit | Drupes, August to November |
| Pollination | Not known whether one bears alone |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Toxicity | The leaves, stems, roots, flowers and fruit are poisonous to people. |
| Ground | Sandy barrens, dry uplands, rocky ground, old fields and edges |
| Native in | 19 states and the District of Columbia |

Atlantic poison oak is native in 19 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records.

## Often mistaken for

[Poison ivy](https://bluewhaletrees.com/species/poison-ivy/index.html.md) is a close relative that carries the same oil. It can climb by aerial roots, while Atlantic poison oak always stands upright. Atlantic poison oak's leaflets have deep, rounded lobes, and its leaves are hairy on both sides.

Atlantic poison oak's leaflets are lobed like the leaves of [white oak](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/white-oak/index.html.md). But a white oak leaf is a single blade on its stalk, while each leaf of Atlantic poison oak is made of three leaflets.

[Fragrant sumac](https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/fragrant-sumac/index.html.md) has three lobed or coarsely toothed leaflets as well, but its fruit is red and fuzzy. Atlantic poison oak's fruit is greenish white to tan, with fine hairs.

Our article on [poison ivy and the native plants that look like it](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/poison-ivy-and-its-native-look-alikes/index.html.md) sets them side by side.

## Handling

Every part of Atlantic poison oak carries urushiol, the oil of poison ivy, and it is never safe to handle at any stage, even when dormant. Touching it gives most people a red, itching rash with blisters and swelling, and clothing and tools that touched the plant pass the oil on. Never burn it, since the oil rides on the soot and the smoke can injure the lungs. Wear long sleeves, long pants, boots and gloves near it. After contact, wash your skin, clothing and tools with soap and water, and wash a pet that brushed against it.

## Read from

Its figures come from the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the USDA PLANTS Database, NC State Extension, Virginia Tech's dendrology site, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, NatureServe Explorer, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Clemson Cooperative Extension, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the US Food and Drug Administration.