Use: Little used because of the extremely poisonous nature of most parts of the plant to the touch.
Habitat: Bogs and swampy woods.
Range: Maine across southern Ontario to Minnesota, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: This species differs from other sumacs with numerous leaflets by the absence of teeth along the edges of the leaves and by the absence of a winged stalk between the leaflets.
BLACK LOCUST
Robinia pseudoacacia L.
Growth Form: Moderate tree up to 70 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 2½ feet; crown narrowly oblong, with irregularly ascending or spreading branches.
Bark: Gray or black, deeply furrowed, with numerous, elevated, scaly ridges.
Twigs: Slender but strong, angular, often zigzag, reddish-brown, with a pair of short, sharp thorns where each leaf is attached; leaf scars alternate, three-lobed, with 3 bundle traces per lobe.
Buds: Sunken in the twigs, dark brown, without bud scales, up to one-eighth inch long.