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Aromatic Sumac

Rhus aromatica

Other common name(s):

Fragrant Sumac

Family:

Anacardiaceae (Sumac Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Central Great Plains, Chihuahuan Deserts, Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, High Plains, Southern Texas Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Broken Red Plains, Limestone Plains, Red Prairie
Chihuahuan Basins and Playas, Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands, Chihuahuan Montane Woodlands, Low Mountains and Bajadas, Stockton Plateau
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland, Llano Uplift, Semiarid Edwards Plateau
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Canadian/Cimarron High Plains, Llano Estacado, Rolling Sand Plains
Northern Nueces Alluvial Plains, Semiarid Edwards Bajada, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Canadian/Cimarron Breaks, Caprock Canyons Badlands Breaks, Flat Tablelands and Valleys, Semiarid Canadian Breaks
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Shrub

Height

6
to
12
ft.

Spread

4
to
6
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Loam, Clay, Rocky, Limestone, Caliche, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade, Shade

Water Requirement

Low

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Yellow

Bloom Season

Spring, Summer

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Nectar, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds

Maintenance

Requires little to no maintenance once established. Winter: Naturally suckers to form a thicket, making it good for erosion control. Thickets looks best when planted en mass or in drift-like plantings as it occurs in nature. Remove suckers to control spread if desired to fit garden space. Plant has a naturally soft form and should not be pruned severely. Propagation: Seeds, Sucker cuttings.

Comments

Blooms April-May. Fast growing. Generally pest and disease-free, and drought-tolerant. Widely distributed across much of Texas. Only female plants produce flowers and berries. Can cause itchy skin after contact. Conspicuous flowers, interesting foliage, fragrant foliage. Berries attract songbirds, high deer resistance. Flowers provide early Spring nectar. Larval Host: Red-banded Hairstreak butterfly. Note: Rhus trilobata and Rhus aromatica have been combined into one single species, Rhus aromatica, with several varieties occurring in smaller regions of Texas (https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=28791#null).
Previous Scientific Name(s): Synonym/s: Rhus trilobata

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 257. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHAR4. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=859&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 6) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Rhus+aromatica&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=28779#null, 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.