Invasive weed identifier

Let us help you identify the tough and often poisonous* weeds that could be invading your property.

  • Poison Ivy

  • Poison Oak

  • Poison Sumac

  • Kudzu

  • Wild Blackberry

Poison Ivy

What to look for

  • Three pointed leaves that are smooth, toothed or lobed with two leaves forming a pair beside a longer middle leaf
  • Leaf lengths ranging from 1/4 inch to 2-1/8 inches
  • Ground cover (4-10 inches), climbing vines, upright bushes or shrubs (up to 4 feet) or older vines that look like tree limbs
  • Leaves typically emerge a reddish color early spring, are green in summer, turn shades of red, orange or yellow in fall, and are leafless in winter.
  • Bunches of small, greenish flowers attached to the main stem or clusters of small, pale, waxy berries (flowers and berries are not always present)

Gallery: Spring Summer Fall Winter

Where to find it

  • North America, except the far west and desert areas
  • Large concentration in the Midwest and eastern U.S.
  • Altitudes below 5,000 feet

Poison Oak

What to look for

  • Upright bushes or shrubs with compound leaves
  • Three serrated- or lobed-edge leaflets with a varnished upper surface

Where to find it

  • North America
  • Concentrations in the northeast and Midwest between New Jersey and Texas and west along the Pacific coast
  • Sandy, dry soil from sea level to 5,000 feet

Poison Sumac

What to look for

  • Bushes and shrubs with compound leaves of 7-12 leaflets
  • Leaflets with a shiny, varnished upper surface
  • Drooping, cluster-like, light, yellowish-green berries (non-poisonous sumac trees have red berries)

Where to find it

  • Moist and marsh-like habitats in the southeast
  • Standing water in the northeast and Midwest
  • Bushes and shrubs in sandy, dry soil

Tough Brush - Kudzu

What to look for

  • Very long vine of 32-100 feet in length
  • Dark green leaves with as many as three lobes
  • Leaves 3-10 inches long in groups of threes
  • Uniformly colored blanket of dark green leaves with hairy undersides
  • Hanging clusters of grape-scented flowers from late July to September
  • Hairy, bean-like, late-season seedpods
  • Wintertime mass of brown vines with withered or absent leaves (warm-weather areas will stay evergreen)

Where to find it

  • Almost everywhere south of the Mason-Dixon Line
  • Growing on utility poles, fences, trees and anything stationary
  • Across two million acres of forestland

Tough Brush - Wild Blackberry

What to look for

  • Dense thickets of tall (up to 10 feet) growth
  • Five and sometimes three distinct oval-shaped leaflets with toothed edges
  • Leafless in winter
  • Black fruit when ripe
  • Showy flowers about one-inch across with five white or pink petals

Where to find it

  • Found in the northeast and parts of the Midwest
  • Widespread in the upper northwest including Idaho, Washington, Oregon and northern California
  • Thrives in moist areas and at elevations up to 5,000 feet
  • Usually adjacent to streams, in ditches and along fence lines
*This site only includes weeds that are injurious to skin. There are many others that are poisonous if ingested.
For additional information on poisonous plants, contact your local Poison Control Center or Agricultural Extension Service.