Rhus chinensis seed

LATIN NAME: RHUS CHINENSIS

COMMON NAME: Chinese Sumac

The Chinese sumac galls the open, spreading crown with the large, pinnate leaves with the winged leaf stalks and the dense, upright clusters of the small, creamy-white flowers that open through the late summer, the small, red fruits following, and the odd, horned galls forming on the leaf stalks. The autumn foliage turns the rich orange and red. The tree grows fast into the sturdy, adaptable form, and it stands the cold and the poor soils well. It likes the sun, and the moist, well-drained soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

In the cashew family, the Chinese sumac holds a curious place in the gall research, and the horned galls on the leaf stalks have been studied for the tannin chemistry for the ages. The research covers the gall compounds, the way the tree grows on the poor soils and the seed biology, while the chemists value the gall tannins for the inks and the dyes. The horticulturists note the autumn colour, and the growers of the traditional gall trees keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the sunny garden, the Chinese sumac galls the leaf stalks and reddens the autumn. The pinnate leaves and the winged stalks give the open, graceful form, the horned galls have served the inks, the dyes and the traditional preparations for the ages, and the fruits feed the birds. It grows fast, stands the poor soils and turns the rich orange and red. Easy, adaptable and full of the old uses.

To grow the Chinese Sumac from seed,

Sow the seeds into the sandy, leafy drills of the nursery bed, then cover them lightly, keep the drills moist, and the seedlings spring up within a few weeks

Keep the drills watered through the dry weeks, and thin the seedlings for the sturdy trees. The winged stalks appear early.

. Plant the young trees in the sunny, moist, well-drained ground, and the winged stalks will gall the autumn over the years.

NAME: Chinese Sumac
OTHER COMMON NAMES: Nutgall Tree
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rhus Chinensis
COLOR: White Flowers / Red Berries
PLANT SEEDS: Spring or Fall
BLOOM TIME: Aug – Sept
HARDINESS ZONE: 6 – 11
PLANT HEIGHT: 18 – 20′
PLANT SPACING: 25 – 35′
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Sun
SOIL & WATER PREFERENCES: Average
OTHER: The Chinese Sumac is a lovely ornamental shrub or small tree native to China & Japan. They are able to tolerate soil that is dry, shallow, or rocky soil. They are also deer & rabbit resistant.
The Chinese Sumac has beautiful huge 6 – 10″ white flower clusters. They look like a bunch of astilbes hanging out of a tree! The flowers turn to drupes of berries that start out green, maturing to red. The plants are dioecious, so both male & female plants are needed for pollination. The Chinese Sumac’s leaves turn a bright orange & red in fall.