Sumac: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Rhus is a genus of woody shrubs and trees, all with pinnately-compound, alternate leaves (some species are trifoliate), bearing when in fruit, and 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, which have grayish-white fruit. The name derives from the Greek name for sumac: rhous.

These plants are found in subtropical and warm temperate 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" or "rhus juice." 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.

Sumac propagates both by seeds, which are spread by birds and other animals through feces, and new sprouts from roots, forming large clonal colonies. Mowing of sumac is not a good control measure as the wood is springy resulting in jagged, sharp pointed stumps when mowed. The plant will quickly recover with new growth after mowing. See Nebraska Extension Service publication G97-1319 for suggestions as to control.

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)

Species in western North America include:

• Rhus trilobata -- skunkbush sumac

Species in the Pacific (Oceania):

• Rhus sandwicensis A. Gray is an endemic species from the Hawaiian Islands called neleau.