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), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Contact hazard

Native to West Virginia. 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 3 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Cliffs, ledges and rocky summits

Cliffs, ledges, rock outcrops, talus and rocky summits where the source does not name the rock. A named rock files the place under its own glade or outcrop type instead.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 97 animals.

American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Tree Sparrow
Spizella arborea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bewick's Wren
Thryomanes bewickii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-and-White Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Dendroica caerulescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown Thrasher
Toxostoma rufum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown-headed Cowbird
Molothrus ater
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Chickadee
Poecile carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Cerulean Warbler
Dendroica cerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

49CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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 purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
Argyrotaenia quercifolianaYellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
Caloptilia belfragellaDogwood Caloptilia

Show all 49

Caloptilia rhoifoliellaSumac Leafblotch Miner Moth, Sumac Caloptilia
Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
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
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
Lophocampa caryaeHickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
Marathyssa basalisLight Marathyssa
Marathyssa inficitaDark Marathyssa
Marathyssa pulcherrimusBeautiful Eutelia
Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Moodna ostrinellaDarker Moodna
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Nemoria rubrifrontariaRed-Fronted Emerald
Olethreutes appendiceumServiceberry Leafroller
Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
Paectes oculatrixEyed Paectes
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
Pococera asperatellaMaple Webworm
Pseudochelaria walsinghamiWalsingham's Moth
Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
Sciota subfuscellaStriped Sumac Leafroller
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
Telphusa longifasciellaY-Backed Telphusa
Tetracis crocallataYellow Slant-Line
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Paralobesia rhoifructana

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

West Virginia rank	SH
Global rank	G5
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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