Sumac
| Sumac | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||
| Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac) Rhus copallina (winged sumac/shining sumac) Rhus glabra (smooth sumac) Rhus sandwicensis (neleau) Rhus trilobata (skunkbush) Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac) |
Rhus is a genus of woody shrubs and trees, all with pinnately-compound, alternate leaves, bearing when in fruit, clusters of reddish drupes. Commonly called sumac (alternate spelling: sumach), the approximately 250 species of Rhus are placed in the Family Anacardiaceae. Some species (including poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac), often placed in this genus, are here treated in the genus Toxicodendron. The name derives from the Greek name for sumac: rhous.
These plants are found in subtropical and warm temparate regions of the world, and are most abundant in South Africa.
The hairy covering of the drupes is harvested and used as a spice in some Middle-Eastern countries. In North America, the smooth sumac, Rhus glabra, and the staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina, are sometimes used to make a beverage, termed "sumac-ade" or "Indian lemonade." This drink is made by soaking the drupes in cool water, rubbing the active principle off the drupes, then straining the liquid through a cotton cloth and sweetening it.
Species of the Genus Rhus in eastern North America:
- Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac)
- Rhus copallina (winged sumac/shining sumac)
- Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
- Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac)
- Rhus trilobata -- skunkbush sumac
- Rhus sandwicensis A. Gray is an endemic species from the Hawaiian Islands called neleau.