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Rhus aromatica
Also called Aromatic Sumac, Lemon Sumac, Polecatbush, Skunkbrush, Squawbush, Sweet Sumac, Skunkbush
Fragrant sumac is a low, spreading deciduous shrub native to much of North America, grown mainly for erosion control, ground cover and fall color. The key is full sun or part shade on well-drained soil; it tolerates poor, dry, alkaline ground.
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 shrub in the family Anacardiaceae native to North America. It is native to southern and eastern Canada, most of the contiguous United States, and Mexico.
Fragrant sumac is common along the forested eastern margins of the Great Plains and in open or otherwise disturbed sites on the margins of the Gulf Coast 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.
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.
Chinese sumac · Winged sumac · Sicilian sumac · Smooth sumac · Lemonade sumac · Sugar sumac · Skunkbush sumac · Staghorn sumac · Sumac
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhus aromatica by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
