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''Rhus aromatica'', commonly known as fragrant sumac, smooth sumac, aromatic sumac, lemon sumac, skunk bush, polecat bush, polecat sumac, or simply sumac, is a
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
shrub in the family
Anacardiaceae The Anacardiaceae, commonly known as the cashew family or sumac family, are a family of flowering plants, including about 83 genera with about 860 known species. Members of the Anacardiaceae bear fruits that are drupes and in some cases produce ...
native to North America.(1)
(2)
It is native to southern and eastern
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, most of the
contiguous United States The contiguous United States, also known as the U.S. mainland, officially referred to as the conterminous United States, consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States in central North America. The te ...
, and
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
.


Description

Fragrant sumac is a woody plant with a rounded form that grows to around to tall and to wide. The plant develops yellow flowers in clusters on short lateral shoots in March through May. The flower is a small, dense
inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...
that usually opens before the plant's leaves do. Flowers and drupes appear earlier in the year than on other Sumac species. The species is polygamodioecious, which means that it is mostly
dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...
, primarily bearing flowers of only one sex, but with either a few flowers of the opposite sex or a few bisexual flowers on the same plant. Male ( staminate) flowers develop in yellowish
catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind- pollinated ( anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in '' Salix''). It contains many, usually unisexual flowers, arra ...
s, while female ( pistillate) flowers develop in short bright yellow
panicle In botany, a panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a p ...
s at the ends of branches. Pollinated flowers develop clusters of to hairy red
drupes In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pip'' (UK), ''pit'' (US), ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a s ...
containing a single nutlet during June through August. The fruits become an important winter food for birds and small mammals that can remain on the plant until spring if not eaten. The plant's alternate leaves are usually compound, and have three leaflets that vary in shape, lobing, and margination. There is a single leaf variety that grows in dry areas of SW. North America. The unstalked leaflets are
ovate Ovate may refer to: * Ovate (egg-shaped) leaves, tepals, or other botanical parts *Ovate, a type of prehistoric stone hand axe * Ovates, one of three ranks of membership in the Welsh Gorsedd * Vates or ovate, a term for ancient Celtic bards ...
to
rhomboid Traditionally, in two-dimensional geometry, a rhomboid is a parallelogram in which adjacent sides are of unequal lengths and angles are non-right angled. The terms "rhomboid" and "parallelogram" are often erroneously conflated with each oth ...
, more or less wedge-shaped at the base, coarsely-toothed and usually shiny
glabrous Glabrousness () is the technical term for a lack of hair, down, setae, trichomes, or other such covering. A glabrous surface may be a natural characteristic of all or part of a plant or animal, or be due to loss because of a physical condition, ...
above. The terminal leaflet is to long. The plant's green to glossy blue-green summer foliage becomes orange to red or purple in the fall. Stems are thin and brownish-gray, with rust-colored
lenticel A lenticel is a porous tissue consisting of cells with large intercellular spaces in the periderm of the secondarily thickened organs and the Bark (botany), bark of woody stems and roots of gymnosperms and dicotyledonous flowering plants. It func ...
s when young. Leaves and stems emit a lemon scent when crushed. There are no terminal buds, but overwintering male catkins are present.


Taxonomy

''Rhus aromatica'' belongs to the plant family ''Anacardiaceae'' and the genus ''Rhus''. ''Rhus'' is a Greek word for Sumac. The specific epithet, ''aromatica'', simply means fragrant. ''Rhus aromatica'' was once considered two species, the western North American one named ''Rhus trilobata''. According to the Oregon State University, College of Agricultural Sciences - Department of Horticulture, "There are no consistent geographical patterns to variations in characteristics, some authorities suggest that ''Rhus aromatica'' is best considered a polymorphic species consisting of only two varieties, the eastern North American form, ''Rhus aromatica var. aromatica'', and the western form, ''Rhus aromatica var. trilobata''." Subspecies * ''Rhus aromatica'' Aiton var. ''aromatica'' * ''Rhus aromatica'' Aiton var. ''arenaria'' (Greene) Fernald * ''Rhus aromatica'' Aiton var. ''serotina'' (Greene) Rehder * ''Rhus aromatica var. simplicifolia'' (Greene) Cronquist Fragrant sumac has trifoliate leaves that resemble those of the related poison ivy (''
Toxicodendron radicans ''Toxicodendron radicans'', commonly known as eastern poison ivy or poison ivy, is a species of allergenic flowering plant. It has numerous subtaxons and forms both vines and shrubs. Despite its common name, it is not a true ivy, but rather a m ...
'') and poison oak ( ''Toxicodendron pubescens''). However, both poison ivy and poison oak have central leaflet with a leaflet stem, or petiolule, whereas fragrant sumac's does not.


Distribution and habitat

Fragrant sumac is common along the forested eastern margins of the
Great Plains The Great Plains is a broad expanse of plain, flatland in North America. The region stretches east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, and grassland. They are the western part of the Interior Plains, which include th ...
and in open or otherwise disturbed sites on the margins of the
Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...
prairie. It grows at a range of sites including open rocky woodlands, valley bottoms, lower rocky slopes, and roadsides. It is not widely used for landscape plantings but can be used as a ground cover, especially on banks. The plant's colorful fall foliage is its main ornamental feature. The plant grows in deep shade to full sun and well-drained slightly acid soils to well-drained alkaline with a pH range of about 6.0 to 8.5. It has a shallow, fibrous root system and is easily transplanted. Some of its branches can trail upon the ground and develop roots. The plant can ground sucker to form a colony. Developed thickets provide cover for small mammals and birds. Rhizomes and roots in the soil allow ''R. aromatica'' to sprout following fire events. File:Rhus aromatica 12zz.jpg, Spread File:Rhus aromatica kz15.jpg, Foliage File:Rhus aromatica kz1.JPG, Pistillate inflorescence File:Rhus aromatica 2016-07-19 3281.jpg, Fruit File:Rhus aromatica var. simplicifolia.jpg, The single leaf variety.


Common diseases and pests

Fragrant sumac has no major diseases or pests. It has been known to be affected by leaf spots, rust, aphids, scale, and mites. Nipple galls are a somewhat common problem affecting foliage appearance, but damage is cosmetic. Cultivars of fragrant sumac, such as Konza, have been found to be resistant to leaf rust and insect damage.


Uses

Historically, Native American tribes have used fragrant sumac to treat health problems and various illnesses. The ripe berries were made into a tart drink. In addition to this, the leaves and bark were used in leather making due to their high tannin content. To create a smoking mixture, the leaves were combined with tobacco. R. aromatica can be used to stabilize soil and prevent erosion on embankments or hard-to-cover areas. A study showed strong antiviral activity against two types of herpes in vitro using aqueous extractions of ''R. aromatica''.


Conservation status in the United States

''Rhus aromatica'' is listed as of special concern and believed
extirpated Local extinction, also extirpation, is the termination of a species (or other taxon) in a chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere. Local extinctions are contrasted with global extinctions. Local extinctions mark a chan ...
in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
. However, this status applies only to native populations. In Washington, Connecticut, and New Hampshire it is considered introduced. Globally, fragrant sumac is listed as G5 or secure.


References


External links

* http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=f180 {{Taxonbar, from=Q62864 aromatica