fragrant sumac

not listed

N4N5 - Apparently Secure to Secure

SNA - Not applicable

not listed

UPL - Obligate upland

UPL - Obligate upland

UPL - Obligate upland

Fragrant sumac is an erect, perennial, 20″ to 80″ tall, deciduous shrub that rises on multiple stems from a compact, well developed root system and long, branched, creeping, underground stems (rhizomes). It often forms thickets up to 10′ across.

Young stems and twigs are dark reddish-brown and sparsely to densely covered with minute, nonglandular hairs. Older stems are grayish-brown, hairless, and frequently branched. When crushed the stems and leaves have an odor which has been variously described as citrussy, pleasantly bittersweet, very unpleasant, and malodorous.

The leaves are alternate and divided into 3 leaflets (ternate). They are on ⅜″ to 1″ long leaf stalks.

The leaflets are ¾″ to 2¾″ long, ⅝″ to 2″ wide and variable in shape. The terminal leaflet is rhombic to egg-shaped and stalkless or nearly stalkless. It is angled at the base and pointed at the tip. It is not 3-lobed. The margins have 3 to 6 broad, rounded or pointed teeth per side above the middle and are untoothed toward the base. The upper surface is almost hairless to densely covered with short, fine, grayish hairs. The lower surface is sparsely to densely hairy. Lateral leaflets are similar but smaller and may be less toothed. The outer margin of each lateral leaflet is rounded to the base. The leaves turn shades of orange, red, and purple in the fall.

The inflorescence is a ¾″ to 2⅜″ long, ⅜″ to 1 3 ⁄16″ wide branched arrangement (panicle) of several short, ⅜″ to ¾″ long, dense, spike-like clusters of numerous flowers at the end of the stem. The spikes are formed in late summer from buds in the leaf axils of the current year’s growth. They persist through the winter, expand in the spring, and flower from April to May before the leaves expand. Male and female flowers usually, but not always, appear on separate plants. Male flowers appear in catkins, female flowers in clusters.

Each flower is tiny, about ⅛″ long and 1 ⁄10″ in diameter, with 5 sepals and 5 petals. Male flowers have 5 stamens, female flowers have 3 styles. The sepals are lance-shaped, 1 ⁄32″ to 1 ⁄16″long, about 1 ⁄32″ wide. They are united just at the base then separated into 5 lobes. They are reddish-brown at the base and have hairs only along the thin margins. The petals are pale yellow to greenish-yellow, oblong egg-shaped, 1 ⁄16″ to ⅛″ long, and rounded at the tip. The inner surface is hairless. The stamens have yellow anthers that are shorter than the filaments.

The infructescence is numerous fruits usually coalesced into a dense cluster. The fruits remain on the plant into the winter.

Each berry-like fruit (drupe) is red, hairy, and usually not shiny. It is comprised of a 1-seeded stone surrounded by a fleshy middle layer and a thin skin. It is spherical but slightly flattened, 3 ⁄16″ to ¼″ long, and ⅛″ to 3 ⁄16″ wide. It is densely covered with stout, red, glandular hairs, and sparsely to densely covered with fine, white or colorless, nonglandular hairs. The fleshy middle is readily detachable from the stone.

20″ to 80″

Pale yellow to greenish-yellow

Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) leaves are pinnately compound and are divided into 11 to 31 leaflets.

Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) leaves are pinnately compound and are divided into 11 to 31 leaflets.

Dry. Prairie ravines, open hillsides, woodland edges and openings, sand dunes. Full sun to partial shade. Sandy or gravelly soil.

April to May

Fragrant sumac plant is sold as an ornamental shrub for sides of buildings and for city streets but not often for yards. It is sometimes used for stabilizing embankments. It is widely planted in Minnesota.

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Fragrant sumac is common in eastern and central United States from Connecticut to Kansas south to Georgia and Texas. In is uncommon in the upper Midwest.

Plant

Leaves

Leaflets

Infructescence