Toxicodendron is a genus of
flowering plants in the
sumac family,
Anacardiaceae. It contains woody
trees,
shrubs and
vines, including
poison ivy,
poison oak, and the
lacquer tree. All members of the genus produce the skin-irritating oil
urushiol, which can cause a severe
allergic reaction. The generic name is derived from the
Greek words (
toxikos), meaning "poison," and (
dendron), meaning "tree". The best known members of the genus in
North America are poison ivy
(T. radicans), practically ubiquitous throughout most of eastern North America, and western poison oak (
T. diversilobum), similarly ubiquitous throughout much of the western part of the continent.