Asked on Sep 19, 2014

Is this a weed or small tree?

James Capps
by James Capps
This plant volunteered and I have no idea what it is. Please help.
  11 answers
  • Cher Kalil Cher Kalil on Sep 19, 2014
    It's a weed tree. Get rid of it before it colonizes into a forest of trash trees!
  • Mary Mary on Sep 19, 2014
    Yes get rid of it asap. If it' s what I think it is, it will take over your whole yard. It produces small dark blueish/red purplish berries and have shallow vining roots that make shoots that form many trees. Left to do their thing you'll have a whole thick forest for a yard. They are easy to get rid of if you stay on top of it. Pull up every root. These roots grow out far and wide. A neighbor of ours actually planted one of these along our property line and in less than a year I had the beginnings of a forest. HOA had to make them cut their tree down in order for me to get control of those growing on our side. It took months to get rid of them all.
  • Mary Mary on Sep 19, 2014
    PS, you may have to trace where it's coming from and destroy the source or you'll be fighting a listing battle. Looking at this gives me nightmares.
  • Aggie Aggie on Sep 20, 2014
    no it is not a weed tree we call it the velvet tree in Belgium, grows fast has nice red seed bulkd , create shadow
  • I think it looks a lot like a sumac tree. regardless of what it is you should not let it grow next to the house.
  • Shelli Barnes Shelli Barnes on Sep 21, 2014
    My guess is a type of sumac. Get rid of it, they're a huge nuisance!
  • Carol S Carol S on Sep 21, 2014
    Agree with people who call it Sumac - Best place for them in my opinion is out in the WOODS. They will spread by the roots & seed . and if left unchecked you will have a privacy hedge that will be very ugly by winter time. My advice, dig it out and soak the ground with root kille, especially near the house.
    • See 1 previous
    • Karen Kautz Karen Kautz on Feb 07, 2016
      @Carol S If it is a Sumac. CAUTION : Some Sumacs are POISONOUS
  • Lynette Tate Lynette Tate on Sep 21, 2014
    Wow, and I thought we only had it here in the south. Looks like sumac to me.
  • Dolores Downing Dolores Downing on Sep 21, 2014
    I have been pulling this up all over my yard. Now I know why I start itching after touching it. Is it in the same family Poison Sumac, Poison Ivy, etc...
  • Lishui Springford Lishui Springford on Sep 21, 2014
    it looks like sumac, I like to keep them because they are pretty, they are important food for deer and birds in late winter (I live in Canada), and they make really good "lemonade" from the berries. They also grow quickly so they provide a lot of mulch, which I am always looking for to build up soil in one area or another. However, if you prefer a low-maintenance garden, dig it out at its roots as it is a prolific plant.
  • Jane Jane on Aug 02, 2015
    We called this the "Tree of Heaven" when I was growing up in Illinois. They are weeds. They are very fast growing, and if you don't pull them up when they are small, you will have a doozy of a time getting rid of them later on.