Difference between revisions of "Sumac"
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| + | Rhus (ancient Greek name). Anacardiaceae. Sumac. Ornamental woody plants, grown chiefly for their handsome foliage, often assuming brilliant autumnal colors, and some species also for their showy fruiting panicles. See also Cotinus. | ||
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| + | Deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes climbing by aerial rootlets, or trees, with milky or resinous juice: lvs. alternate, without stipules, simple, 3-foliolate or odd-pinnate: fls. dioecious or polygamous, small, in axillary or terminal panicles; calyx 5-parted; petals 5, imbricate; stamens 5, inserted below a broad disk; ovary superior, with 3 styles: fr. a small 1-seeded dry drupe, smooth or hairy.—About 150 species in the temperate and subtropical regions of both hemispheres. Foliage and bark of most species are rich in tannin and are used for tanning leather, particularly the lvs. of B. coriaria in S. Eu. From R. verniciflua lacquer is obtained in China and Japan, used in the manufacture of lacquer-ware; R. succedanea yields a vegetable wax, used for candles in Japan, and also exported for various purposes. R. laevigata and some other S. African species are valued for their timber. | ||
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| + | The sumacs are shrubs or trees with handsome simple or usually compound foliage assuming in most deciduous species brilliant autumnal colors, and with small comparatively inconspicuous flowers in usually large panicles, followed by small fruits which are deep red and showy in many species. The only species with rather showy flowers of creamy white color appearing in late summer is R. javanica, while R. typhina, R. glabra, and R. copallina are chiefly valued for their large pinnate leaves coloring scarlet in autumn and also for the conspicuous panicles of deep red fruits remaining almost unchanged on the plants during the winter; they are well adapted for mass-planting on barren ground and dry hillsides. Also R. verniciflua, R. succedanea, and R. vernix have handsome large foliage, but are poisonous like R. Toxicodendron, and for this reason are not recommended for extensive planting. The deciduous native species are hardy North, and R. verniciflua, R. Potaninii, R. punjabensis var. sinica, R. javanica, R. tri- chocarpa, and R. sylvestris are hardy as far north as Massachusetts, while R. coriaria is tender, and the evergreen species can be grown only in warmer temperate regions. Most species grow well in dry and barren soil, only R. vernix is a swamp-loving plant. Many species, particularly R. Toxicodendron, R. glabra, R. typhina, and R. copallina. spread by suckers and may become a nui- sance in lawns and mixed plantations. Propagation is by seeds sown in autumn or stratified; all species grow readily from root-cuttings; some species, as R. canaden- sis, may be increased by layers or cuttings of mature wood. | ||
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| + | Index. | ||
| + | aromatica, 8.laevigata, 5.radicans, 10. | ||
| + | canadensis, 8.lanceolata, 18.Roxburghii, 17. | ||
| + | copallina, 18.laurina, 3.semialata, 17. | ||
| + | coriaria, 16.lucida, 6.sinica, 14, 15. | ||
| + | dissecta, 20.Michauxii, 19.succedanea, 13. | ||
| + | diversiloba, 9.mollis, 4.Toxicodendron, 10. | ||
| + | filicina, 20.Osbeckii, 17.trilobata, 7. | ||
| + | glabra, 21.ovata, 2.typhina, 20. | ||
| + | hirta, 20.Potaninii, 14.venenata, 11. | ||
| + | integrifolia, 1.pumila, 19.vernicifera, 12. | ||
| + | javanica, 17.punjabensis, 15.verniciflus, 12. | ||
| + | laciniata, 20, 21.quercifolia, 10.vernix, 11, 12. | ||
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| + | R. cotinoides, Nutt.=Cotinus americana.—R. Cotinus, Linn.= Cotinus Coggygria.—R. Delavayi, Franch. Allied to R. succedanea. Glabrous shrub: lfts. 5-7, elliptic, 1-2 in. long, light green beneath: infl. 2-3 1/2 in. long. W. China. Var. quinquejuga, Rehd. & Wilson. Lfts. 5-11. slightly pubescent while young. W. China.—, hybrida, Rehd. Hybrid between R. glabra and R. typhina, found occasionally among the parents: young branchlcts sparingly or densely pubescent: lfts. on the veins beneath slightly pubescent: hairs of the fr. exactly intermediate in length between those of the parents. —R. orienitalis, Schneid. (R. Toxicodendron var. hispida, Engl. ), Allied to R.Toxicodendron. Climbing: young branchlets hairy: lfts. dull green above, entire: fr. pilose. Japan. China.—R. rhodanthema, F. Muell.=Rhodosphaera rhodanthema.—R. sylvestris, Sieb. & Zucc. Allied to R. succedanea. Shrub or tree, to 30 ft.: young branchlets, rachis, and lfts. beneath pubescent. Japan, China. S.I.F. 1:58.—R. tomentosa. Linn. Allied to R. laevigata. Shrub or small tree: lfts. 3, oblong, entire or crenate-dentate, tomentose beneath, 1 1/2-3 in. long. S. Afr. I.T. 3: 111.—R. tricho- carpa, Miq. Allied to R. verniciflua. Shrub or small tree: petiole and lfts. beneath pubescent; lfts. usually smaller: panicle shorter and denser: fr. pilose. Japan, China. Alfred Rehder. | ||
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Revision as of 12:53, 15 December 2009
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!"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!" is not in the list (If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!) of allowed values for the "Jump in" property.
Read about Sumac in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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{{{1}}} 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. |
| Sumac | ||||||||||||
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 Winged Sumac leaves and flowers | ||||||||||||
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| About 250 species; see text |
Rhus is a genus of approximately 250 species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae. They are commonly called sumac or sumach. Some species (including Poison ivy, poison-oak, and poison sumac), often placed in this genus, are here treated in the genus Toxicodendron, which differs in highly allergenic foliage and grayish-white fruit but is not genetically distinct. The name derives from the Greek name for sumac, rhous.
The genus is found in subtropical and warm temperate regions throughout the world, with the highest diversity in southern Africa.
They are shrubs and small trees growing to 1-10 m tall. The leaves are spirally arranged; they are usually pinnately compound, though some species have trifoliate or simple leaves. The flowers are in dense panicles or spikes 5-30 cm long, each flower very small, creamy white, greenish or red, with five petals. The fruit form dense clusters of reddish drupes called sumac bobs.
Sumac propagates both by seeds, which are spread by birds and other animals through their droppings, and by new sprouts from rhizomes, forming large clonal colonies.
Species
Cultivation and uses
The drupes of the Genus Rhus are harvested, the hairy coating removed and then ground to be used as a spice (a deep red powder with a sour taste) in some Middle Eastern countries, particularly with salads. In North America, the smooth sumac, Rhus glabra, and the staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina, are sometimes used to make a beverage, termed "sumac-ade" or "Indian lemonade" or "rhus juice". This drink is made by soaking the drupes in cool water, rubbing the active principle off the drupes, then straining the liquid through a cotton cloth and sweetening it. Native Americans also used the leaves and berries of the smooth and staghorn sumacs combined with tobacco in traditional smoking mixtures.
Species including the fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica, the littleleaf sumac, R. microphylla, the skunkbush sumac, R. trilobata, the smooth sumac, and the staghorn sumac are grown for ornament, either as the wild type or as cultivars.
The leaves of certain sumacs yield tannin (mostly pyrogallol), a substance used in vegetable tanning. Leather tanned with sumac is flexible, light in weight, and light in color, even bordering on being white.
Dried sumac wood glows under UV lighting (blacklight) Template:Fact.
Mowing of sumac is not a good control measure as the wood is springy resulting in jagged, sharp pointed stumps when mowed. The plant will quickly recover with new growth after mowing. See Nebraska Extension Service publication G97-1319 for suggestions as to control.
See also
- Red za'atar
References
- ↑ Integrated Taxonomic Information Service. "Rhus laurina."
External links
- Southern African species
- RO Moffett. A Revision of Southern African Rhus species FSA (Flora of South Africa) vol 19 (3) Fascicle 1.
- Schmidt, E., Lotter, M., & McCleland, W. (2002). Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Jacana. ISBN 1-919777-30-X.
- List of Southern African indigenous trees
- Sumac Shrubs
