''Rhus copallinum'' (''Rhus copallina'' is also used, but this is not consistent with the rules of the

International Association for Plant Taxonomy The International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT) is an organization established to promote an understanding of plant biodiversity, facilitate international communication of research between botanists, and oversee matters of uniformity and ...

), the winged sumac, shining sumac, dwarf sumac or flameleaf sumac, is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the cashew 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 ...

) that is native to eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. It 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 ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

growing to tall and an equal spread with a rounded crown. A 5-year-old sapling will stand about .

Description

Shining sumac is often cultivated, where it is well-suited to natural and informal landscapes because it has underground runners which spread to provide dense, shrubby cover for birds and wildlife. This species is valued for ornamental planting because of its lustrous dark green foliage which turns a brilliant orange-red in fall. The fall color display is frequently enjoyed along interstate highways, as the plant readily colonizes these and other disturbed sites. The tiny, greenish-yellow

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s, borne in compact, terminal panicles, are followed by showy red clusters of berries which persist into the winter and attract wildlife. The flowers are yellow, flowering in the summer. The fruit attracts birds with no significant litter problem, is persistent on the tree, and is showy. The bark is thin and easily damaged from mechanical impact; branches droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy; routinely grown with, or trainable to be grown with, multiple trunks. The tree wants to grow with several trunks, but can be trained to grow with a single trunk. It has no thorns. Its leaves are alternate and pinnately compound. The leaflets are borne on alate rachis that give the plant one of its common names: "winged sumac".

Taxonomy

''Rhus copallinum'' belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. This species was named by Carl Linnaeus in ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genus, genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial nomenclature ...

''. There are multiple recognized subspecies of ''Rhus copallium'' including ''Rhus copallinum'' L. var. ''copallinum'', ''Rhus copallinum'' L. var. ''latifolia'' Engl., ''Rhus copallinum'' var. ''lanceolata'' Gray and ''Rhus copallinum'' L. var. leucantha (Jacq.) DC. The lecotype is located in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

Distribution and habitat

''Rhus copallinum'' extends from the Coastal Plain of Florida to Ontario, Canada. ''Rhus copallinum'' extends as far west as Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas. (The ''R. copallinum'' var. ''lanceolata'' is also found in parts of Mexico.) This species is found in many different ecosystems such as Longleaf-slash pine, Loblolly- shortleaf pine, Oak-pine, Oak-hickory, and Oak-gum-cypress. ''R. copallinum'' is found in many plant associations, but does not indicate the presence of a specific habitat. This species grows best in full sunlight and well-drained soils, but is resistant to the effects of pollution, drought, heavy pruning, compacted soil, and transplanting. Additionally, once established, it is difficult to remove from an area. It is also known to be in competition with young pines and other hardwoods in multiple habitats.

Cultivation and uses

The tree can be planted in a container or above-ground planter. It has been recommended for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in the highway, as well as for land reclamation. ''Rhus copallinum'' can tolerate exposure to salt spray in maritime forests and coastal grasslands; it can grow in

serpentine soil Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially an ...

and shallow, rocky soil. ''Rhus copallinum'' tolerates soil pH ranging from 5.3 to 7.5, requires between 28 and 60 millimeters of water, and can survive a minimum temperature of -28 °F. There are male and female ''Rhus copallium'' shrubs: both are needed for reproduction. The tree grows in full sun or part shade. Soil tolerances include clay, loam, sand, slightly alkaline, acidic, and well-drained soil. Its drought tolerance is high. The somewhat sour berrylike fruits are edible and rich in

vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is an essential nutrient. The term "vitamin A" encompasses a group of chemically related organic compounds that includes retinol, retinyl esters, and several provitamin (precursor) carotenoids, most not ...

. They are eaten by wildlife and can be made into a lemonade-like drink. Additionally, deer browse the twigs of the species. The leaves make up part of the diets of captive

Coquerel's sifaka Coquerel's sifaka (''Propithecus coquereli'') is a Diurnality, diurnal, medium-sized lemur of the sifaka genus ''Sifaka, Propithecus''. It is native to northwest Madagascar. Coquerel's sifaka was once considered a subspecies of Verreaux's sifaka ...

s (lemurs). ''Rhus copallinum'' also has many medicinal uses. The bark can be used to treat diarrhea and

menorrhagia Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), previously known as menorrhagia or hematomunia, is a menstrual period with excessively heavy flow. It is a type of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). Abnormal uterine bleeding can be caused by structural abnorm ...

and also has a strong effect on the female hormonal system. It was often used to help with the symptoms of menopause. Additionally, tea made from the fruit and bark can be used externally to treat oozing sores, burns, and blisters. The berry tea is prepared by steeping 1 teaspoon of dried fruit with every 8 ounces of water used for 30 minutes. The bark tea uses a half teaspoon for every 8 ounces of water, requires a decoct of 15 minutes, and is then steeped for 1 hour.

Fruit

The fruit of ''Rhus copallinum'' was found to contain twelve compounds including a new galloyl derivative. The fruit are not good sources of protein, fat, or calcium, but contain large amounts of tannins. Fruits were used by Native Americans to treat mouth sores and dysentery. Native Americans also added it to drinking water for the lemony taste. It was also made into a tea that was used to treat urinary tract infections,

gingivitis Gingivitis is a non-destructive disease that causes inflammation of the gums; ulitis is an alternative term. The most common form of gingivitis, and the most common form of periodontal disease overall, is in response to bacterial biofilms (also ...

, ulcerated mucous membranes, thrush, and apthous stomatata. ''Rhus copallinum'' fruits ripen between the autumn months of August and October and last through winter.

Fire and germination

''Rhus copallinum'' is adapted to fire and seed

germination Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the spores of fungi, ...

increases with the heat from fire. Optimal germination of ''Rhus copallinum'' occurs at 90 °C. Fire eliminates the aboveground parts of ''R. copallinum'' allowing the root canals to be stimulated to increase stem production. The presence of burning also affects the leaf symmetry of ''Rhus copallinum''. The seeds have also been known to germinate at high rates (75%) when soaked in sulfuric acid at room temperature.

Conservation status

The conservation status of ''Rhus copallinum'' is secure in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, Virginia, and North Carolina. It is apparently secure in Ontario, Canada. There is no status rank available for the rest of the eastern seaboard and it is presumed to be possibly extirpated in Iowa.

References

External links

Bioimages: ''Rhus copallinum''USDA Plants profile for ''Rhus copallinum'' (winged sumac)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7245720 copallina Trees of Cuba Trees of Northern America Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus