I just moved into a new area and discovered a tree in my backyard and don't know what it is. I have looked on the internet and cant seem to find it, but have found similar ones. It looks almost like a poison sumac but the fruit is different. The leaf arrangement is a cluster and the branches are furry but the fruit is oddly shaped and seems to be attached to the leaves. When i took off the fruit and broke it open there was just a dust inside. I have four children and dont know if it is a dangerous tree if they happen to get ahold of one of the sacs. Help please!!!
Looks like some kind of galls, rather than fruits. Breaking some open (probably with gloves on, I guess, if the tree seems to be poison sumac) might reveal insects inside. Certainly does look like a sumac tree, anyway, poison or not.
Thank you, I did break one open but all that seemed to be inside was a powder, almost like a pollen. Would the contents be harmful?
It wouldn't be poison sumac with those reddish fruit clusters I now see in bottom picture, but rather a smooth sumac (smooth shoots) or a staghorn sumac (fuzzy shoots). Maybe if you search "sumac gall" on www you will find your mystery.
Bizarre as it is, these actually seem to be aphid colonies according to someone's ID on BugGuide.net.
