''Rhus chinensis'', the Chinese sumac or nutgall tree, 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 or small tree in the genus '' Rhus''. Growing to tall, it has downy shoots and leaves comprising several leaflets. These turn red in autumn before falling. The plant is common in East and South Asia, and is cultivated as an ornamental in

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ra ...

Gall Galls (from the Latin , 'oak-apple') or ''cecidia'' (from the Greek , anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external tissues of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues, similar to benign tumors or war ...

s produced on the species that are called ''Chinese gall'' (''Galla chinensis''), are a source of gallotannins, molecules of hydrolyzable tannins. Infestation of the tree by Chinese sumac

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

s ('' Melaphis chinensis'' Bell) may lead to production of a gall that is valued as a commercial product in China. Chinese galls are used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

for

cough A cough is a sudden expulsion of air through the large breathing passages which can help clear them of fluids, irritants, foreign particles and Microorganism, microbes. As a protective reflex, coughing can be repetitive with the cough reflex fol ...

diarrhea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...

, night sweats,

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

, and intestinal and uterine bleeding. Some research has suggested that chemical compounds found in ''Rhus chinensis'' possess ''

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning ''in glass'', or ''in the glass'') Research, studies are performed with Cell (biology), cells or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in ...

'' antiviral, antibacterial, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiarrheal, and antioxidant activities. The aqueous extracts of the gall also inhibit alpha-glucosidase activity ''

. Image:Rhus javanica var chinensis1.jpg, Foliage Image:Rhus javanica var chinensis3.jpg, Flowers Image:Rhus javanica var chinensis4.jpg, Fruits Image:Rhus chinensis sapling.jpg, Sapling

References

External links

Plants for a Future
{{Taxonbar, from=Q163116 chinensis Trees of China Flora of Eastern Asia Flora of tropical Asia Taxa named by Philip Miller