Rhus aromatica Seeds | Fragrant Sumac

Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica) with its three-parted aromatic leaves and clusters of small red hairy fruits — Fragrant Sumac (*Rhus aromatica*): Anacardiaceae, a low, spreading shrub of North American dry slopes.

LATIN NAME: Rhus aromatica

COMMON NAME: Fragrant Sumac, Lemon Sumac, Skunkbush

Plant Profile

Fragrant Sumac is a low, spreading, deciduous shrub of the cashew family from the dry slopes and open woodlands of North America, growing one to two metres tall and spreading wider by suckers. Its three-parted leaves, released when crushed, carry a fresh lemon-resin scent that names the plant, and they turn brilliant orange and red in autumn.

In spring it carries small yellowish flowers before the leaves, and by late summer the female plants bear clusters of small, red, hairy fruits that persist into winter. It is a plant of poor, dry, rocky ground, and its toughness is the point. The young twigs are reddish and hairy, and the crushed leaves leave the lemon-resin scent on the fingers for several minutes, the surest field identification of the plant.

Science & Biotechnology

Botanists distinguish it carefully from poison ivy, whose similar three-parted leaves cause constant confusion; the differences are in the fruit, the scent and the growth habit, and field guides treat the pair as a standard identification exercise.

Its suckering habit has been studied for erosion control on slopes and embankments, and the cultivar Gro-Low, selected for its flat, wide spread, is a standard planting on American highway banks. Studies of its drought physiology have documented the deep, spreading root system that lets it hold hot, gravelly slopes, and its performance on highway cuttings made it a standard specification plant in several American states. Chemists have examined the leaf’s aromatic oils, the source of its lemon scent, and the plant’s chemistry distinguishes it clearly from its toxic relatives in the cashew family.

Uses & Benefits

In the landscape it is a ground-holding shrub for dry banks, medians and poor soil, where few woody plants persist; the autumn colour alone would justify it. The crushed-leaf scent makes it a favourite of sensory gardens.

Its sumac relatives give the tangy red spice of Middle Eastern cooking and the sumac-ade of North American tradition; this species’ berries were used similarly, and the shrub was valued in folk practice as an aromatic astringent. The berries steeped in water make a tart, vitamin-C drink in the tradition of sumac-ade, and the fruit clusters persist on female plants long enough to feed winter birds. Landscape architects specify it for dry, inhospitable banks where irrigation is impossible, and mature plantings demonstrate its value by surviving summers that kill everything around them.

Growing from Seed

Sow cleaned seed into a light compost after a cold, moist stratification over winter, or sow outdoors in autumn and let the winter do the work; the hard seed coat and deep dormancy need the chill.

Grow the seedlings in full sun, and plant them out into any sunny, well-drained position, including poor, rocky soil. Once established it spreads by suckers, filling its allotted bank with no further attention. Male and female flowers occur on separate or the same plants depending on the individual; planting several seedlings raises the chance of a fruiting mix. Cut back a straggling plant hard in early spring; it resprouts vigorously from the base and reforms a dense mound within the season.

Our Take

A shrub for the ground nothing else wants: lemon-scented leaves, blazing autumn, red berries through winter. Chill the seed, plant in sun, and let it run.

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