Rhus copallinum

Secure  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Rhus
Species:
R. copallinum
Binomial name
Rhus copallinum
Varieties

R. c. var. copallinum
R. c. var. latifolia Engl.
R. c. var. leucantha (Jacq.) DC.

Native range of Rhus copallinum
var. copallinum (green) &
var. latifolia (blue)
Synonyms

Rhus copallina

Rhus copallinum (Rhus copallina is also used, but this is not consistent with the rules of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy),[3][4] the winged sumac,[5] shining sumac, dwarf sumac or flameleaf sumac, is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae) that is native to eastern North America. It is a deciduous tree growing to 3.5–5.5 metres (11–18 ft) tall and an equal spread with a rounded crown. A 5-year-old sapling will stand about 2.5 metres (8.2 ft).

Description

Shining sumac at Illinois State University
Trunk of a shining sumac
Shining sumac berries

Shining sumac is often cultivated, where it is well-suited to natural and informal landscapes because it has underground runners which spread to provide dense, shrubby cover for birds and wildlife.[6] This species is valued for ornamental planting because of its lustrous dark green foliage which turns a brilliant orange-red in fall. The fall color display is frequently enjoyed along interstate highways, as the plant readily colonizes these and other disturbed sites.[6] The tiny, greenish-yellow flowers, borne in compact, terminal panicles, are followed by showy red clusters of berries which persist into the winter and attract wildlife.

The flowers are yellow, flowering in the summer. The fruit attracts birds with no significant litter problem, is persistent on the tree and showy.

The bark is thin and easily damaged from mechanical impact; branches droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy; routinely grown with, or trainable to be grown with, multiple trunks. The tree wants to grow with several trunks, but can be trained to grow with a single trunk. It has no thorns.

Its leaves are alternate[7] and pinnately compound.[7][8] The leaflets are borne on alate rachis that give the plant one of its common names: "winged sumac".[9]

Taxonomy

Rhus copallinum belongs to the Anacardiaceae family.[10] This species was named by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum.[11] There are multiple recognized subspecies of Rhus copallium including Rhus copallinum L. var. copallinum, Rhus copallinum L. var. latifolia Engl., Rhus copallinum var. lanceolata Gray and Rhus copallinum L. var. leucantha (Jacq.) DC.[10][6] The lecotype is located in the British Museum.[12]

Distribution and Habitat

Rhus copallinum extends from the Coastal Plain of Florida to Ontario, Canada.[13] Rhus copallinum extends as far west as Texas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas.[14] (The R. copallinum var. lanceolata is also found in parts of Mexico.[15]) This species is found in many different ecosystems such as Longleaf-slash pine, Loblolly- shortleaf pine, Oak-pine, Oak-hickory, and Oak-gum-cypress.[16] R. copallinum is found in many plant associations, but does not indicate the presence of a specific habitat.[16] This species grows best in full sunlight and well-drained soils, but is resistant to the effects of pollution, drought, heavy pruning, compacted soil, and transplanting.[13] Additionally, once established, it is difficult to remove from an area. It is also known to be in competition with young pines and other hardwoods in multiple habitats.[13]

Cultivation and uses

The tree can be planted in a container or above-ground planter. It has been recommended for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in the highway, as well as for land reclamation. Rhus copallinum can tolerate exposure to salt spray in maritime forests and coastal grasslands; it can grow in serpentine soil and shallow, rocky soil.[17] Rhus copallinum tolerates soil pH ranging from 5.3 to 7.5, requires between 28 and 60 millimeters of water, and can survive a minimum temperature of -28 °F.[14] There are male and female Rhus copallium shrubs: both are needed for reproduction.[18]

The tree grows in full sun or part shade.[17] Soil tolerances include clay, loam, sand, slightly alkaline, acidic, and well-drained soil. Its drought tolerance is high.[19]

The somewhat sour berrylike fruits are edible and rich in vitamin A.[20] They are eaten by wildlife and can be made into a lemonade-like drink. Additionally, deer browse the twigs of the species.[21] The leaves make up part of the diets of captive Coquerel's sifakas (lemurs).[22]

Rhus copallinum also has many medicinal uses.[23] The bark can be used to treat diarrhea and menorrhagia and also has a strong effect on the female hormonal system.[23] It was often used to help with the symptoms of menopause. Additionally, tea made from the fruit and bark can be used externally to treat oozing sores, burns, and blisters.[23] The berry tea is prepared by steeping 1 teaspoon of dried fruit with every 8 ounces of water used for 30 minutes. The bark tea uses a half teaspoon for every 8 ounces of water, requires a decoct of 15 minutes, and is then steeped for 1 hour.[23]

Fruit

The fruit of Rhus copallinum was found to contain twelve compounds including a new galloyl derivative.[24] The fruit was used to treat mouth sores and dysentery by Native Americans.[13] Native Americans also added it to drinking water for the lemony taste.[16] The fruit are not good sources of protein, fat, or calcium, but contain large amounts of tannins.[16] It was also made into a tea that was used to treat urinary tract infections, gingivitis, ulcerated mucous membranes, thrush, and apthous stomatata.[23] Rhus copallinum fruits ripen between the autumn months of August and October and last through winter.[13]

Fire and Germination

Rhus copallinum is adapted to fire and seed germination increases with the heat from fire.[25][16] Optimal germination of Rhus copallinum occurs at 90 °C.[26] Fire eliminates the aboveground parts of R. copallinum allowing the root canals to be stimulated to increase stem production.[16] The presence of burning also affects the leaf symmetry of Rhus copallinum.[27] The seeds have also been known to germinate at high rates (75%) when soaked in sulfuric acid at room temperature.[13]

Conservation Status

The conservation status of Rhus copallinum is secure in New York, Pennsylvania, West Viriginia, Delaware, Virginia, and North Carolina. It is apparently secure in Ontario, Canada. There is no status rank available for the rest of the eastern seaboard and it is presumed to be possibly extirpated in Iowa.[28]

References

  1. ↑ BGCI. 2017. GlobalTreeSearch online database. Richmond, U.K. Available at: https://www.bgci.org/global_tree_search.php. (Accessed: August 2017).
  2. ↑ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0 - Rhus copallinum, Winged Sumac". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "CHAPTER III. Nomenclature of taxa according to their rank SECTION 4. Names of species Article 23". International Association for Plant Taxonomy. Retrieved 2014-10-01. when it is a noun in apposition or a genitive noun, it retains its own gender and termination irrespective of the gender of the generic name.
  4. ↑ Linne (1753). Sp. pl. ed. 1, ed. 2; Syst. nat. ed. 10. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.669.
  5. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Rhus copallinum". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 John K. Francis (ed.). "Wildland shrubs of the United States and its Territories: thamnic descriptions: volume 1" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture. p. 625. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  7. 1 2 "Rhus copallinum". North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. NC State Extension. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  8. ↑ TWC Staff (5 November 2015). "Plant Database: Rhus copallinum". Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Illustrated Glossary: Alate". Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. Virginia Cooperative Extension. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  10. 1 2 "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  11. ↑ "WFO Plant List | World Flora Online". wfoplantlist.org. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  12. ↑ "Rhus copallinum | International Plant Names Index". www.ipni.org. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Francis, John K. (2004). Wildland shrubs of the United States and its territories: Thamnic descriptions, Volume 1 (Report). San Juan, PR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, International Institute of Tropical Forestry.
  14. 1 2 "USDA Plants Database". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  15. ↑ R. S. C. (August 1977). "Reviewed Work: Atlas of United States Trees, Vol. 3: Minor Western Hardwoods Elbert L. Little, Jr". Taxon. 26 (4): 462. doi:10.2307/1220056. ISSN 0040-0262.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Rhus copallinum". www.fs.usda.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  17. 1 2 "Tree and Shrub Descriptions for State Nursery-Raised Seedlings". New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Rhus copallinum (Dwarf Sumac, Flameleaf Sumac, Shining Sumac, Winged Sumac) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  19. ↑ "Rhus copallina Shining Sumac" by Edward F. Gilman and Dennis G. Watson, Forest Service, Department of Agriculture, Fact Sheet ST-568, October 1994
  20. ↑ Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 324. ISBN 0-394-50432-1.
  21. ↑ Little, Elbert L. (1980). The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. New York: Knopf. p. 548. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
  22. ↑ "Annual sumac harvest for sifakas' winter diets". Duke University. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Winston, David (2005-08-01). "Herbal Voices: American Herbalism Through the Words of American Herbalists". Economic Botany. 59 (4): 408–409. doi:10.1663/0013-0001(2005)059[0408:dfabre]2.0.co;2. ISSN 0013-0001.
  24. ↑ Ma, Hang; Yuan, Tao; González-Sarrías, Antonio; Li, Liya; Edmonds, Maxwell E.; Seeram, Navindra P. (January 2012). "New Galloyl Derivative from Winged Sumac ( Rhus copallinum ) Fruit". Natural Product Communications. 7 (1): 1934578X1200700. doi:10.1177/1934578X1200700116. ISSN 1934-578X.
  25. ↑ Reinhardt, Elizabeth (2009). Lubrecht State Experimental Forest Prescribed Fire Effects Study 1973-2006 (Report). Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. doi:10.2737/rds-2009-0003 – via Forest Service Research Data Archive.
  26. ↑ Bolin, Jay F. (2009). "Heat Shock Germination Responses of Three Eastern North American Temperate Species". Castanea. 74 (2): 160–167. ISSN 0008-7475. JSTOR 27742894.
  27. ↑ Freeman, D. Carl; Brown, Michelle L.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Graham, John H.; Emlen, John M.; Krzysik, Anthony J.; Balbach, Harold; Kovacic, Dave A.; Zak, John C. (January 2004). "Developmental Instability in Rhus copallinum L.: Multiple Stressors, Years, and Responses". International Journal of Plant Sciences. 165 (1): 53–63. doi:10.1086/380986. ISSN 1058-5893.
  28. ↑ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
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