Rhus ovata

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Rhus ovata (S.Watson), also known as Sugar Bush or Sugar Sumac, is an evergreen shrub to small tree that grows in chaparral in dry canyons and south-facing slopes below 1300 m in Southern California, Arizona and Baja California. Its size ranges from 2 – 10 m tall and it has a rounded appearance. Rhus ovata often hybridizes with Rhus integrifolia.

The twigs of Rhus ovata are thick and reddish in color. Its foliage consists of dark green, leathery, ovate leaves that are folded along the midrib. The leaf arrangement is alternate. Its inflorescences which occur at the ends of branches consist of small, 5-petaled, flowers that appear to be pink, but upon closer examination actually have white to pink petals with red sepals. Additionally, the flowers may be either bisexual or pistillate. The fruit is a reddish, sticky drupe, and is small, about 6 – 8 mm in diameter.

Read about Rhus ovata in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Rhus ovata, Wats. Shrub, to 10 ft. : lvs. short-stalked, ovate, acute or acuminate, entire or rarely spinosely toothed, 2-3 in. long: fls. in dense spikes 1/2in. long, sometimes crowded into terminal panicles, light yellow: fr. ovate, flattened, dark red, 1/4in. long. Spring. S. Calif., Ariz. 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 It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article.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

Rhus ovata can be used in the landscape. It likes well-drained soil in a sunny location with little water once established since it is very drought tolerant. It does not handle pruning well, however.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Rhus ovata. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Rhus ovata QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)