Sumac - Flameleaf

SUMAC, FLAMELEAF   Shining Sumac, Winged Sumac

Rhus copallina (RUSE ko-pal-LINE-ah)

Deciduous   Sun   Height 15′   Spread 15′   Spacing 5′–10′

HABIT: Small, open-growing tree. Leafy wings along stems. Brilliant red fall color. Seed clusters in winter. Spreads by suckers.

CULTURE: Easy, any soil. Can be bare-rooted and likes little water.

  Flameleaf sumac; Left photo by Stephanie Brundage. 

USES: Specimen garden tree or background mass.

PROBLEMS: None except over-watering, which is sure to kill this tree.

NOTES: Also called shining sumac because the top of the leaf is dark green and shiny above and hairy below.
Prairie flameleaf sumac is Rhus lanceolata, with orange and red autumn foliage, and less likely to colonize than the R. copallina variety.
Winged or Wing-rib sumac is Rhus copallina L. and has a distinctive leafed rib.

  Winged or wing-rib sumac. Photos from Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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