Sumac contains 100 to 150 species that grow in Eurasia/Africa [100], Central America [5] and North America [54]. All species look alike microscopically and are fluorescent under long-wave ultraviolet light. One species, R. vernicifera, is used for Oriental lacquer. The word rhus is from the classical Greek and Latin name of the type species, Sicilian sumac, Rhus coriara L.

Rhus choriophylla Mearns sumac, New Mexico evergreen sumac, tough leaf sumac

Rhus copallina        black sumac, common sumac, dwarf sumac, flame leaf sumac, moun
tain sumac, mountain dwarf sumach, mountain wing-rib sumach, shining sumac, smooth sumac, southern sumac, upland sumac, var­nish sumac whiteflower dwarf sumach, winged sumac, wing rib sumac

Rhus copallina        black sumac, common sumac, dwarf sumac, flame leaf sumac,

var. copallina        mountain sumac, mountain dwarf sumach, mountain wing-rib sumach,

shining sumac (typical), smooth sumac, southern sumac, upland sumac, varnish sumac, whiteflower dwarf sumach, winged sumac, wing rib sumac

Rhus glabra        common sumac, red sumac, Rocky Mountain sumac, scarlet sumac,

smooth sumac, smooth sumach

Rhus integrifolia        California mahogany, California sumac, California sumach, lemonade-

berry, lemonade sumac, lemonade sumach, lentisco, mahogany, ma­hogany sumac, mahogany sumach, sourberry, sourwood, western sumach

Rhus kearneyi        Kearney sumac

Rhus lanceolata        dwarf sumac, dwarf sumach, lanceleaf dwarf sumach, prairie dwarf su

mach, prairie flame leaf sumac, prairie shining sumac, prairie sumac, Texan sumac

Rhus laurina        laurel sumac, laurel sumach

Rhus microphylla desert sumac, flame leaf sumac, littleleaf sumac, scrub sumac, small

leaf dwarf sumac, small-leaf sumac, winged sumac, wing rib sumac Rhus ovata        bush laurel, chaparral sumac, mountain laurel, sugarbush, sugar sumac

Rhus typhina        American sumac, hairy sumac, hairy sumach, staghorn sumac, stag-

horn sumach, velvet sumac, velvet sumach, vinegar tree, Virginia su­mach

Rhus virens        evergreen sumac, lentisco, tobacco sumac

The following description is for Rhus typhina.

Distribution: North America, from Quebec to Maine, southern Ontario, northern Michi­gan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; south to northeastern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, northern Ken­tucky, West Virginia, and Maryland. In the mountains to Virginia, North Carolina, northern Georgia and central Tennessee.

The Tree: Staghorn sumac is the largest of the native sumacs. It is classed as a large shrub reaching 40 ft (12 m) high and 1 ft (0.3 m) wide at base. Sumacs are fast-growing, short- lived plants important to wildlife for cover. The fruits are produced in large amounts and are eaten by many species of birds and mammals. The leaves are also eaten by mammals. Su­macs can be shrubs, vines and trees with alternate pinnately compound leaves, which may be evergreen or deciduous. Shoot buds are covered with hairs. The flowers are yellowish green and are produced in small clusters. The flower spikes turn into velvety bunches (staghorns) in the fall, with the fruits berry-like, small, and round or oval, with a pit and seed. The leaves turn to red, purple and yellow in the fall. Tannins can be obtained from bark and leaves.

General Wood Characteristics: The wood of sumac is ring porous to semi-ring porous, with a whitish gray sapwood with yellow or green streaks. The heartwood is olive-green to greenish yellow to russet brown with dark streaks. The wood is fluorescent under ultraviolet radiation. It is light weight, soft, and brittle, with a high luster.

 

Mechanical propertiesa

 

aReference (59).

Drying and Shrinkage: Sumac is easily air-dried without cracks or checks. The fresh-cut wood exudes a sticky fluid at the cambium (junction between bark and wood), which dries after seasoning.

Working Properties: Sumac wood is easily worked with sharp tools. It frays on turning. Durability: No information available at this time.

Preservation: No information available at this time.

Uses: Novelties, carving, turnery.

Toxicity: Sap and wood cause dermatitis (40, 54, 64, 105).

Additional Reading: 29, 55, 68, 74.

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