Atlantic Poison-oak

Toxicodendron pubescens

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, dry upland woodlands, around dry rock outcrops in the Piedmont and Mountains, barrens. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

Contact hazard

Native to Florida. Not suggested for planting. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height: not over 3 feet tall
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Dry to average

Toxicodendron pubescens — foliage photograph — (c) Dan Vickers, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

Contact hazard. Avoid contact. Plant oils can cause severe skin reactions; smoke from burning plants is also hazardous. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: Spring
Fruiting season: August to October

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 23 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trees and rocks on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Phoebe
Sayornis phoebe
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Screech-owl
Megascops asio
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eastern Wood-pewee
Contopus virens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Eurasian Collared-dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Birds. 1 shared habitat
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Fish Crow
Corvus ossifragus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Regulus satrapa
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Crested Flycatcher
Myiarchus crinitus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Great Horned Owl
Bubo virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Merganser
Lophodytes cucullatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

52CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Rhus

Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
Acronicta longaLong-Winged Dagger, Darkish Dagger
Actias lunaLuna Moth
Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
Antepione thisoariaVariable Antepione
Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Archips georgianaFireworm, Georgia Leafroller
Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
Argyrotaenia quercifolianaYellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
Caloptilia belfragellaDogwood Caloptilia

Show all 52

Caloptilia rhoifoliellaSumac Leafblotch Miner Moth, Sumac Caloptilia
Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure
Chloropteryx tepperariaAngled-Winged Emerald
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
Cleora sublunariaDouble-Lined Gray
Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
Datana perspicuaSpotted Dantana
Datana robustaRobust Datana
Derrima stellataPink Star
Dichorda iridariaShowy Emerald
Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Holcocera chalcofrontellaSumac Holcocera
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
Marathyssa basalisLight Marathyssa
Marathyssa inficitaDark Marathyssa
Marathyssa pulcherrimusBeautiful Eutelia
Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Moodna ostrinellaDarker Moodna
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Nemoria bifilataWhite-Barred Emerald
Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
Paectes abrostolellaBarren Paectes
Paectes oculatrixEyed Paectes
Paectes pygmaeaPygmy Paectes
Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
Pococera asperatellaMaple Webworm
Protambulyx strigilisStreaked Sphinx
Pseudochelaria walsinghamiWalsingham's Moth
Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
Sciota subfuscellaStriped Sumac Leafroller
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Telphusa longifasciellaY-Backed Telphusa
Tetracis crocallataYellow Slant-Line
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Epidromia pannosa
Episimus augmentana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

52BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Rhus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

38BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Toxicodendron

Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Campephilus principalisIvory-billed Woodpecker
Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
Chamaea fasciataWrentit
Columba liviaRock Pigeon
Contopus virensEastern Wood-Pewee
Dryobates nuttalliiNuttall's Woodpecker

Show all 38

Dryobates pubescensDowny Woodpecker
Empidonax flaviventrisYellow-bellied Flycatcher
Haemorhous mexicanusHouse Finch
Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Melanerpes carolinusRed-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalusRed-headed Woodpecker
Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Myadestes townsendiTownsend's Solitaire
Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
Quiscalus quisculaCommon Grackle
Sayornis nigricansBlack Phoebe
Sialia mexicanaWestern Bluebird
Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Sphyrapicus ruberRed-breasted Sapsucker
Toxostoma longirostreLong-billed Thrasher
Toxostoma redivivumCalifornia Thrasher
Toxostoma rufumBrown Thrasher
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
Vireo belliiBell's Vireo
Vireo gilvusWarbling Vireo
Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Anacardiaceae
Hardiness: Zones 5a–9b
Flower color: Yellow or green
Fruit begins: August
Fruit ends: October

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Spring” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition differs)
Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “not over 3 feet (1 m) tall” · Fire Effects Information System: Toxicodendron pubescens · Source botanical description; original units and scope retained
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Good drainage; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox differs)

Also known as

Atlantic Poison oak; Poison Oak; Rhus toxicodendron; sumac

Conservation status

Florida rank	S4S5
Global rank	G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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