Sumac, Skunkbush - Rhus trilobata

A small to medium much branched dense shrub 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) tall; stems are numerous, slender and much branched; leaves are alternate, green above and pale below, finely hairy when young, ill-scented when crushed, divided into 3 leaflets, middle leaflet is spatula-shaped with a wedge base and mostly three-lobed and coarsely toothed, the side leaflets are egg-shaped and mostly three-lobed and broadly toothed; flowers are in short dense clusters, yellow; fruit is a small globe-shaped berry, red, sticky hairy and numerous in short dense clusters. Habitat includes rocky hillsides, canyon bottoms, rocky riparian areas, stabilized blow sands and well-drained shorelines. These sites are typically excessively drained with low waterholding capabilities. Propagation can be performed with seed and by cuttings. A hard seed coat and some embryo dormancy cause seed dormancy. It requires scarification with sandpaper, acid or warm water, and prechilling at 20 to 30°C for 30 to 60 days.

Greenhouse asexual propagation. The recommended propagation for hardwood cuttings is under greenhouse conditions.

Field propagation by dormant unrooted hardwood cuttings is rarely successful.

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Last Modified: 07/05/2007