The bad plant that I have chosen is poison sumac. It is part of the phylum anthrophyta. Its genus and species name is Toxicodendron vernix. This plant is very bad. It only takes 1 nanogram of oil from this plant to cause a rash, and the average human get 100 nanograms of oil every time they come in contact with the plant. The only place where this plant can be found is in wetland areas and areas with flooded soil. Some facts are that it is really woody and it actually grows into a tree instead of a small plant or shrub like poison ivy and poison oak. The poison sumac tree can actually grow to be 30 feet tall. According to some people, poison sumac is the most dangerous plant in the United States. Poison sumac causes huge boils filled with the oil and pus that can spread easily if you break them open. If you try to get rid of the plant and burn it, the oil can then be inhaled and it will caused bleeding in your lungs and you will die immediately. All parts of the plant are poisonous, including the bark.
The good plant that I chose is a sugar maple tree. It is also part of the phylum anthrophyta. It has a genus and species name of Acer saccharum. By far, this is definitely a good plant seeing as how we get most of our syrup and other things from it. It is located in northeastern North America, Georgia, and Texas. It is part of the deciduous tree family. When it seeds, it has a double samara which is two of the helicopter things combined at the seed. One of the most shade tolerant trees in the world. Shade tolerant is when it can just grow out of a little bit of sunlight. The tree can grow in any type of soil except for sand, unless the sand is moist and it has dirt mixed with it. The sugar maple is part of something called hydraulic lift. Hydraulic lift is when the plants roots pull water from way down below and pull it up and disperse it closer to the top of the soil for other plants to use and grow. Acid rain and soil acidification kill the sugar maple more than anything else. The Norway maple is taking over because it is a more urban tree because the salt that is spread out in the winter also hurt the tree a lot. The wood that we get from it are used to make the following: bowling alley lanes, NBA basketball courts, baseball bats, musical instruments such as violins, and pool cues.
"Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron Vernix)." Home Duke University. 12 Feb. 2009.
Web. 13 Feb. 2012. www.duke.edu/~cwcook/trees/tove.html
K. Buell
ReplyDeleteAdd more facts to the firt one. From what I read there is only 8. Keep in mind, facts do not include the scientific name, phylum, what plant you chose, or if it is a good plant or bad plant.
M. McKee
DeleteI wrote down all 15 of them, it's just when i put them into the paragraph it would've sounded weird if I didn't group some of them together
Mrs. Hauck - How much is 100 nanograms?
ReplyDeleteM. McKee
Delete100 nanograms = .1 micro grams
T.Murray) why is sumac so much more harmful when burned?
ReplyDeleteM. McKee
DeleteIt is because the oil gets spread into the air and then it is inhaled into the lungs
J.Fischer
ReplyDeleteDo you know what is so toxic in poison sumac since it only takes 1 nanogram of oil to give you a rash?
M. McKee
Deletei think that it is the urshoil that contains all of the toxins
N.Covault
ReplyDeleteis poison sumac treatable?
M. McKee
Deleteyes it is
H. willoughby
ReplyDeleteAre some people immune to poison sumac?
M. McKee
DeleteYes some are, once you get it one time it is very hard to get it again
A. Iker
ReplyDeleteis poison sumac more harmful than poison ivy?
M. McKee
DeleteYES far more harmful
J. Burton
ReplyDeleteWhy do they use Sugar Maple is used for basketball court, or bowling alleys?
M. McKee
DeleteBecause it is a harder wood that can have a very smooth finish with i high polish
K.Marlow
ReplyDeleteHow can you tell poison sumac from other similar plants?
M. McKee
DeletePoison sumac has 7-9 leaves per stem and the tree grows up to 30 feet tall and has white berries on it when it's flowering
R. Sharp
ReplyDeleteWhy do the poison sumac only grow in wet lands or flooded soil?
M. McKee
DeleteI think that it s because they like the wet soil more than dry soil
T.Lee
ReplyDeleteIf the sumac is burned how far does it travel that can be harmful?
M. McKee
DeleteNothing that i read exactly said how far it would travel, but I'm pretty sure that it could be fatal for however far it reached, i guess it all depends on the wind really.
Z. Carter
ReplyDeleteHow is the bark piosioness?
M. McKee
DeleteThe bark is poisonous because when the plant is growing, it has the poisonous urshoil on its bark as a defense mechanism against animals and when it is fully grown the oil just sits on the outside of the bark.
T. Atkins
ReplyDeleteHow do you treat your rash if you come in contact with Poison Sumac?
M. McKee
DeleteYou would use a lotion to keep the area from drying out, then switch between warm and cold showers, and you might want to wrap the area to keep you from touching it
W. Schuster
ReplyDeleteIf you get the rash from poison sumac, can it be treated?
M. McKee
DeleteYes, you do not want to take a straight hot shower, you want to change between warm and cold water, also you can use lotion and do not scratch the boils open or else it spreads. You can wrap the area to help you keep from touching it.
P. Mondy
ReplyDeleteHow do you get rid of the poison sumac tree if its near where you live?
M. McKee
ReplyDeleteYou don't, you deal with it and don't go near it, I guess if you really wanted to get rid of it you could put on gloves and other protective wear and go cut it down, but make sure it doesn't touch you
J. Reilman- So why did you pick sugar maple tree as your good plant?
ReplyDeleteM. McKee
DeleteI chose the sugar maple becuase it gives something to mostly everyone loves, syrup. Also it helps out other plants by using hydraulic lift.
P.Kinnair
ReplyDeletedo you have to eat the sumac to get a rash or just touch it?
M. McKee
DeleteAll the poison sumac has to do is brush up against you