Host an Event Volunteer Join Tickets

Support the plant database you love!

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

Help us grow by giving to the Plant Database Fund or by becoming a member

Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Share

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

Search Smarty Plants
See a list of all Smarty Plants questions

Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

Need help with plant identification, visit the plant identification page.

 
rate this answer
1 rating

Monday - March 24, 2014

From: The Woodlands, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Poisonous Plants, Problem Plants
Title: Defense against poison ivy from The Woodlands TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Hi and thank you in advance for your help. My husband is allergic to Poison Ivy, Oak, Sumac, or something in our yard. We need someone who is very knowledgeable to come and identify any poisonous plants etc. in our yard. We live in The Woodlands, Texas. Would you please recommend someone who we could contact to help us.

ANSWER:

We are sorry, we have no contacts on the sort of professionals you are looking for. Even if we searched the Internet for someone who does that kind of work, we could hardly recommend a business with whom we had no experience. You are not alone in this problem. Here are two previous answers on how to protect yourself and how (hopefully) to get rid of the stuff.

Previous answer from Blanco TX

Previous answer from Huntsville NC

Here are the three plants you mentioned. You will note they all belong to the genus Toxicodendron:

Toxicodendron radicans (Eastern poison ivy) (also sometimes referred to as "poison oak"

Toxicodendron radicans (Eastern poison ivy)

Toxicodendron vernix (Poison sumac)

 

From the Image Gallery


Eastern poison ivy
Toxicodendron radicans

Eastern poison ivy
Toxicodendron radicans

Poison sumac
Toxicodendron vernix

More Poisonous Plants Questions

Removing poison ivy in Cuba MO
August 27, 2011 - I bought a home with a huge bed of hybrid iris but the bed is thick with poison ivy. If I cover myself head to toe to prevent getting it is there a way to clean the tubers so they will not be poison? ...
view the full question and answer

Does non-native Crown of Thorns cause cancer?
August 24, 2013 - Does the plant, Corona De Cristo (Crown of thorns) cause cancer?
view the full question and answer

Shrubs that non-toxic to horses but that they won't eat
October 29, 2011 - I am looking for a low maintenance, low water, green shrub that horses won't eat and will not be toxic to them. I want to hide my neighbors corral and keep down dust on my side. The horses have "l...
view the full question and answer

Are banana plants poisonous to dogs in Metarie, LA?
May 25, 2011 - Can a dog die from eating a banana plant that I have growing in my yard?
view the full question and answer

Herbal properties of Dicentra formosa
January 23, 2016 - I would like to get some information on the Dicentra formosa plant such as the benefits of the plant. Is it poisonous? Can it be infused in an oil?
view the full question and answer

Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today.