There are different kinds of sumacs. The ones you usually see growing everywhere that get the red "fruits" are staghorn sumac...not poisonous, thank goodness! You can use them for dye, crafts and flower arrangements, and I think they might be edible. I like them, but they can take over like crazy. There is a poison sumac, but I don't have much info on that one. I'm sure the more seasoned gardeners around here can tell you a bit more.

Welcome!

This address will take you to a picture/partial description of poison sumac: http://jaxmed.com/articles/Diseases/p_sumac.htm

the primary distinction is the location of the flowers/fruit. If the f/f are growing on the branch ends it is the non-poisonous variety.

if the f/f are growing between the leaf and the branch--be careful

Thank you. I'm not sure now. I'll have to wait until I see the flowers. Interesting and thanks for the website!

Yes, thanks for the info. Luckily, most of the ones I see have the fruits on the end.

Poison sumac has white berries, staghorn which is the one usually seen here has red berries. They can be steeped in water to make a kind of pink lemonade.