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Pacific Poison Oak
Pacific Poison Oak
Toxicodendron diversilobum
Plantae
COMMON

Stats

Lifespan
50-60 yrs
Size
Medium
Diet
Photosynthetic
Biome
Temperate woodland
Range
North America
Movement
Sessile
Breeding
Seeds
Defense
Toxins
Status
Common

About

Pacific poison oak is a western North American shrub or vine notorious for causing severe allergic contact dermatitis through urushiol, an oil so potent that even dead plants retain their sting for years. Its lobed, oak-like leaflets turn brilliant red and orange in autumn before the plant goes bare, hiding any hint of the misery it conceals.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    seed
    A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
  2. 2.
    sprout
    A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
  3. 3.
    sapling
    A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
  4. 4.
    mature
    Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Family
Anacardiaceae
Genus
Toxicodendron
Species
Toxicodendron diversilobum