Sumac contains 100 to 150 species that grow in Eurasia/Africa [100], Central America [5] and North America [54]. All species look alike microscopically and are fluorescent under long-wave ultraviolet light. One species, R. vernicifera, is used for Oriental lacquer. The word rhus is from the classical Greek and Latin name of the type species, Sicilian sumac, Rhus coriara L.
Rhus choriophylla Mearns sumac, New Mexico evergreen sumac, tough leaf sumac
Rhus copallina black sumac, common sumac, dwarf sumac, flame leaf sumac, mountain sumac, mountain dwarf sumach, mountain wing-rib sumach, shining sumac, smooth sumac, southern sumac, upland sumac, varnish sumac whiteflower dwarf sumach, winged sumac, wing rib sumac
Rhus copallina black sumac, common sumac, dwarf sumac, flame leaf sumac,
var. copallina mountain sumac, mountain dwarf sumach, mountain wing-rib sumach, shining sumac (typical), smooth sumac, southern sumac, upland sumac, varnish sumac, whiteflower dwarf sumach, winged sumac, wing rib sumac
Rhus glabra common sumac, red sumac, Rocky Mountain sumac, scarlet sumac, smooth sumac, smooth sumach
Rhus integrifolia California mahogany, California
sumac, California sumach, lemonade-berry, lemonade sumac,
lemonade sumach, lentisco, mahogany, mahogany sumac, mahogany
sumach, sourberry, sourwood, western
sumach
Rhus kearneyi Kearney sumac
Rhus lanceolata dwarf sumac, dwarf sumach, lanceleaf dwarf sumach, prairie dwarf sumach, prairie flame leaf sumac, prairie shining sumac, prairie sumac, Texan sumac
Rhus laurina laurel sumac, laurel sumach
Rhus microphylla desert sumac, flame leaf sumac, littleleaf sumac, scrub sumac, small leaf dwarf sumac, small-leaf sumac, winged sumac, wing rib sumac
Rhus ovata bush laurel, chaparral sumac, mountain
laurel, sugarbush, sugar
sumac
Rhus typhina American sumac, hairy sumac, hairy sumach, staghorn sumac, staghorn sumach, velvet sumac, velvet sumach, vinegar tree, Virginia sumach
Rhus virens evergreen sumac, lentisco, tobacco sumac
The following description is for Rhus typhina.
Distribution: North America, from Quebec to Maine, southern Ontario, northern Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; south to northeastern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, northern Kentucky, West Virginia, and Maryland. In the mountains to Virginia, North Carolina, northern Georgia and central Tennessee.
The Tree: Staghorn sumac is the largest of the native sumacs. It is classed as a large shrub reaching 40 ft (12 m) high and 1 ft (0.3 m) wide at base. Sumacs are fast-growing, short-lived plants important to wildlife for cover. The fruits are produced in large amounts and are eaten by many species of birds and mammals. The leaves are also eaten by mammals. Sumacs can be shrubs, vines and trees with alternate pinnately compound leaves, which may be evergreen or deciduous. Shoot buds are covered with hairs. The flowers are yellowish green and are produced in small clusters. The flower spikes turn into velvety bunches (staghorns) in the fall, with the fruits berry-like, small, and round or oval, with a pit and seed. The leaves turn to red, purple and yellow in the fall. Tannins can be obtained from bark and leaves.
General Wood Characteristics: The wood of sumac is ring porous to semi-ring porous, with a whitish gray sapwood with yellow or green streaks. The heartwood is olive-green to greenish yellow to russet brown with dark streaks. The wood is fluorescent under ultraviolet radiation. It is light weight, soft, and brittle, with a high luster.
Weighta
Weight
Moisture Specific lb/ft3 kg/m3
content gravity
Green 0.45 41 657
12% 0.47 33 529
Ovendry NA NA NA
aReference (59).
Mechanical propertiesa
Property Green Dry
MOE 0.81 106 5.585 GPa 1.19 106 8.205 GPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
MOR 5.80 103 39.991 MPa 10.2 103 70.329
lbf/in2 lbf/in2 MPa
C| | 2.68 103 18.479 MPa 5.94 103 40.956
lbf/in2 lbf/in2 MPa
C 0.48 103 3.310 MPa 1.01 103 6.964 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
WML 10.8 74.466 kJ/m3 8.4 in-lbf/in3 57.918
in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3
Hardness 590 lbf 2,624.32 N 680 lbf 3,024.64
N
Shear| | NA NA NA NA
aReference (59).
Working Properties: Sumac wood is easily worked with sharp tools. It frays on turning.
Durability: No information available at this time.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Novelties, carving, turnery.
Toxicity: Sap and wood cause dermatitis (40, 54, 64, 105).
Additional Reading: 29, 55, 68, 74. 55, 66, 68, 74, 79. 28, 29, 42, 43, 44, 48, 50, 55, 56, 68, 72, 73, 74, 79, 92, 97, 102. 74, 75, 77, 99, 106. 101.