| Common Name |
Sugarbush, Sugar Sumac, Chaparral Sumac |
| Latin Name |
Rhus ovata |
| Family |
Anacardiaceae |
| Sunset zones / USDA zones |
7-24 / 7b-10 |
| Type / Form |
Shrub / Large |
| Native Habitat |
Below 4,000 feet feet in southern California and between
3,000 and 5,000 feet in Arizona |
| Soil |
Dry, decomposed granite, sand, clay loam low in organic
content, well drained |
| Exposure |
Full sun |
| Water |
None to once per month |
| Height X Width |
12 feet X 15 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
None |
| Leaves |
Evergreen, dark and glossy foliage |
| Flowers |
Tight clusters of very small
white to pink flowers with 5 petals, clusters occur at ends of twigs and
are 2 to 3 inches long, appearing in spring. Fruit elliptical, 1/8
inch across, fuzzy and red in clusters at the ends of the twigs, ripen
in late summer and persist into winter. |
| Bark / Roots |
Smooth and grayish brown, later becoming scaly and
rough. Twigs moderately
stout, red and green (later turning gray), smooth with small hairy buds
nearly hidden by petiole. |
| Maintenamce |
None |
| Propogation |
Seeds, heeled semihardwood cuttings in summer, root
cuttings in December, suckers |
| Pests and diseases |
None |
| Landscape uses |
Erosion control, barrier, low maintenance, background |
| Garden Suitability |
Songbird, Thornless, Butterfly, Ethnobotanical |
| Ornamental Value |
Cream flowers in spring, red fruits in early summer |
| Nature Value |
Bees and butterflies use flowers, birds eat fruits |
| Native American Uses |
Lemonade like drink made from berries, tea made from
leaves, sap used as sugar, medicinal uses |
| Links |
|
| Data |
http://www.theodorepayne.org/gallery/pages/R/rhus_ovata.htm |
| Data |
http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?315,320,322 |
| Data |
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Rhus+ovata |
| Data |
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHOV |
| Images and
data |
http://www.delange.org/SugarBush/SugarBush.htm |
| Images and
data |
http://www.nazflora.org/Rhus_ovata.htm |
| Images and
data |
http://www.theodorepayne.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Rhus_ovata |
| Images and
data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=7091 |
| Images and
data |
http://www.californiagardens.com/plant_pages/rhus_ovata.htm |
| Images and
data |
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus2/factsheet.cfm?ID=563 |
| Images and
data |
http://www.californiagardens.com/Plant_Pages/rhus_ovata.htm |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/63704/index.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Anacardiaceae/Rhus_ovata.html |
| Images and
data |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_ovata |
| Nursery, images and data |
http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/572.htm |
| Nursery |
Oak Hills Nursery, 13874 Ranchero Road, Oak Hills, 92345,
760-947-6261 |
| Distribution map |
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RHOV |
