Difference between revisions of "Rhus trilobata"

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{{SPlantbox
 
{{SPlantbox
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|familia=Anacardiaceae
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|genus=Rhus
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|species=trilobata
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|common_name=sourberry, skunkbush, three-leaf sumac
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|habit=shrub
 
|Min ht metric=cm
 
|Min ht metric=cm
 
|Temp Metric=°F
 
|Temp Metric=°F
 
|jumpin=This is the plant information box - for information on light; water; zones; height; etc. If it is mostly empty you can help grow this page by clicking on the edit tab and filling in the blanks!
 
|jumpin=This is the plant information box - for information on light; water; zones; height; etc. If it is mostly empty you can help grow this page by clicking on the edit tab and filling in the blanks!
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|image=Upload.png
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|image=Rhus trilobata 1.jpg
 
|image_width=240
 
|image_width=240
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|image_caption=Green berries
 
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'''''Rhus trilobata''''' is a shrub in the [[sumac]] genus (''Rhus'') with the [[common name]]s '''sourberry''', '''skunkbush''', and '''three-leaf sumac'''. It is native to the western half of Canada and the United States and extends south into northern Mexico. It can be found from deserts to mountain peaks up to about 7,000 feet in elevation.
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This species closely resembles other members of the genus that have leaves with three "leaflets" ("trifoliate" leaves).  These include ''[[Rhus aromatica]]'', native to eastern North America, and [[western Poison-oak]].  The shape of the leaflets and the habit of the shrub make this species, like some other ''Rhus'', resemble small-leafed oaks (''[[Quercus]]'').
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The leaves have a very strong scent when crushed. The aroma is medicinal or bitter, disagreeable enough to some to have gained the plant the name skunkbush. The leaves are green when new and turn orange and brown in the fall. The twigs are fuzzy when new, and turn sleek with age. The flowers, borne on small catkins ("short shoots"), are white or light yellow. Edible fruit, the plant yields hairy and slightly sticky red berries which have an aroma similar to limes and a very sour taste.  The acidity comes from [[tannic acid|tannic]] and [[gallic acid]]s. The flowers are animal-pollinated and the seeds are dispersed by animals that eat the berries. The shrub also reproduces vegetatively, sending up sprouts several meters away and forming thickets.
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Skunkbush sumac grows in many types of plant communities, such as the grasslands east of the [[Rocky Mountains]],  mountainous shrubland, pine, juniper, and fir forests, wetlands, [[California chaparral and woodlands|oak woodlands, and chaparral]]. The plant is destroyed above ground but rarely killed by [[wildfire]], and will readily sprout back up in burned areas.
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Rhus trilobata, Nutt. (Schmaltzia trilobata, Small). Skunk-bush. Ill-scented Sumac. Offensive-scented shrub, to 3, rarely to 6 ft. high: lvs. petioled, 1-2 in. long; lfts. sessile or nearly so, oval or obovate, obtuse, crenately toothed, puberulous while young, soon glabrous, the terminal one usually 3-lobed: fls. greenish, in clustered spikes before the lvs.: fr. subglobose, red, hairy, 1/4in. across. Mo. to Wash., Calif., and Texas. B.B. (ed. 2) 2:483.
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Rhus trilobata, Nutt. (Schmaltzia trilobata, Small). Skunk-bush. Ill-scented Sumac. Offensive-scented shrub, to 3, rarely to 6 ft. high: lvs. petioled, 1-2 in. long; lfts. sessile or nearly so, oval or obovate, obtuse, crenately toothed, puberulous while young, soon glabrous, the terminal one usually 3-lobed: fls. greenish, in clustered spikes before the lvs.: fr. subglobose, red, hairy, 1/4in. across. Mo. to Wash., Calif., and Texas.
 
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{{Taxobox
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==Cultivation==
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| color = lightgreen
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| name = ''Rhus trilobata''
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| image = Rhus trilobata 1.jpg
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===Propagation===
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| image_width = 240px
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<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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| image_caption = Green berries
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
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===Pests and diseases===
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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| classis = [[Dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
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| ordo = [[Sapindales]]
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==Species==
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| familia = [[Anacardiaceae]]
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<!--  This section should be renamed Cultivars if it appears on a page for a species (rather than genus), or perhaps Varieties if there is a mix of cultivars, species, hybrids, etc    -->
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| genus = ''[[Rhus]]''
 
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| species = '''''R. trilobata'''''
 
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| binomial = ''Rhus trilobata''
 
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| binomial_authority = [[Thomas Nuttall|Nutt.]]
 
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The North American [[sumac]] '''''Rhus trilobata''''' has the common names '''sourberry''' and '''skunkbush'''. It is native to the western half of Canada and the United States and extends south into northern Mexico. It can be found from deserts to mountain peaks up to about 7,000 feet in elevation.
 
  
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Skunkbush sumac grows in many types of plant communities, such as the grasslands east of the [[Rocky Mountains]], mountainous shrubland, pine, juniper, and fir forests, wetlands, [[California chaparral and woodlands|oak woodlands, and chaparral]]. The plant is destroyed above ground by [[wildfire]] but rarely killed, and will readily sprout back up in burned areas. It is sometimes planted for [[erosion]] control and landscaping, and is a plant used for reclaiming barren land stripped by [[mining]].
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==Gallery==
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{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery -->
  
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The foliage has a very strong scent. The aroma is medicinal or bitter, disagreeable enough to some to have gained the plant the name skunkbush. At first glance the plant resembles [[Western Poison-oak|poison oak]] due to the three leaflets on each leaf. They are green when new and turn orange and brown in the fall. The twigs are fuzzy when new, and turn sleek with age. They blossom into white or light yellow flowers. The plant yields sticky berries which have an aroma similar to limes. The berries are sour but edible. They can be baked into bread or mixed into porridge or soup, or steeped to make a tea or tart beverage similar to lemonade. The acidity comes from [[tannic acid|tannic]] and [[gallic acid]]s. The flowers are animal-pollinated and the seeds are dispersed by animals that eat the berries. The shrub also reproduces vegetatively, sending up sprouts several meters away and forming thickets.
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<gallery>
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Image:Upload.png| photo 1
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Image:Upload.png| photo 2
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Image:Upload.png| photo 3
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</gallery>
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==References==
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
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The skunkbush sumac has historically been used for medicinal and other purposes. The bark has been chewed or brewed into a drink for cold symptoms, the berries eaten for gastrointestinal complaints and toothache, and the leaves and roots boiled and eaten for many complaints. The leaves have also been smoked. The flexible branches were useful and sought after for twisting into [[Basket weaving|basketry]] and rugs.
 
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
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*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RHTR USDA Plants Profile]
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*{{wplink}}
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*[http://medplant.nmsu.edu/rhus.html Medicinal plants]
 
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*[http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/rhutri/all.html Forest Service Info Page]
 
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==References==
 
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Casebeer, M. (2004). ''Discover California Shrubs''. Sonora, California: Hooker Press. ISBN 0-9665463-1-8
 
  
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[[Category:Sapindales]][[Category:Flora of California]][[Category:Flora of Western United States]][[Category:Flora of Western Canada]]
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{{stub}}
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__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 05:54, 18 December 2009


Green berries


Plant Characteristics
Habit   shrub
Cultivation
Scientific Names

Anacardiaceae >

Rhus >

trilobata >


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Rhus trilobata is a shrub in the sumac genus (Rhus) with the common names sourberry, skunkbush, and three-leaf sumac. It is native to the western half of Canada and the United States and extends south into northern Mexico. It can be found from deserts to mountain peaks up to about 7,000 feet in elevation.

This species closely resembles other members of the genus that have leaves with three "leaflets" ("trifoliate" leaves). These include Rhus aromatica, native to eastern North America, and western Poison-oak. The shape of the leaflets and the habit of the shrub make this species, like some other Rhus, resemble small-leafed oaks (Quercus).

The leaves have a very strong scent when crushed. The aroma is medicinal or bitter, disagreeable enough to some to have gained the plant the name skunkbush. The leaves are green when new and turn orange and brown in the fall. The twigs are fuzzy when new, and turn sleek with age. The flowers, borne on small catkins ("short shoots"), are white or light yellow. Edible fruit, the plant yields hairy and slightly sticky red berries which have an aroma similar to limes and a very sour taste. The acidity comes from tannic and gallic acids. The flowers are animal-pollinated and the seeds are dispersed by animals that eat the berries. The shrub also reproduces vegetatively, sending up sprouts several meters away and forming thickets.

Skunkbush sumac grows in many types of plant communities, such as the grasslands east of the Rocky Mountains, mountainous shrubland, pine, juniper, and fir forests, wetlands, oak woodlands, and chaparral. The plant is destroyed above ground but rarely killed by wildfire, and will readily sprout back up in burned areas.


Read about Rhus trilobata in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Rhus trilobata, Nutt. (Schmaltzia trilobata, Small). Skunk-bush. Ill-scented Sumac. Offensive-scented shrub, to 3, rarely to 6 ft. high: lvs. petioled, 1-2 in. long; lfts. sessile or nearly so, oval or obovate, obtuse, crenately toothed, puberulous while young, soon glabrous, the terminal one usually 3-lobed: fls. greenish, in clustered spikes before the lvs.: fr. subglobose, red, hairy, 1/4in. across. Mo. to Wash., Calif., and Texas.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Species

Gallery

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References

External links


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