Flameleaf sumac
Rhus copallina L.
Anacardiaceae (Sumac family)
Description
Flameleaf sumac is a slender-branched shrub or small deciduous tree in the Sumac family. This species usually grows in small mottes or clusters, as the plant can spread by rhizomes (horizontal, usually underground stems that often send out roots and shoots from the nodes).
The leaves are long, narrow, compound and located alternately along the stem. The leaves turn a showy shade of red during the fall. Younger stems are covered in small hairs, but older stems become hairless.
In early summer, small, whitish flower clusters occur on the tips of the branches and mature into rounded, red fruits.
The forage value of flameleaf sumac is fair for goats and wildlife.
Habitat
This plant grows mainly on rocky hills, woods and bottomlands in the eastern, central and southern parts of Texas.
Images
Plant Characteristics
Flower Color: White
Seed Type: Fruit/Berry
Duration: Perennial
Stem Texture: Hairless/Smooth
Growth Habit: Shrub (Woody)
Leaf Shape : Pinnately Compound
Season: Warm
Distribution : 01 - Pineywoods, 02 - Gulf Prairies and Marshes, 03 - Post Oak Savannah, 04 - Blackland Prairies, 05 - Cross Timbers and Prairies, 07 - Edwards Plateau
Distributions
Distribution refers to the ecological region in Texas that a plant has been found. You can also view a clickable map.
Book: Brush and Weeds of Texas Rangelands (B-6208)
Collection: Brush and Weeds