Jess, I agree completely. .Most of the ones one the list I copied are indeed small or limited in range. But even the numbers on staghorn sumac are limited, and nothing on smooth sumac. There certainly is lots of room for measuring these species. (R. michauxii is a found in NC in a few locations).
Ed STAGHORN SUMAC - Rhus typhina L. (Rhus hirta (L.) Sudworth) Staghorn sumac is a U.S. native, deciduous, large shrub to small tree that can attain a height of 30-35 feet. It has alternate, compound leaves, 16 to 24 inches long. Staghorn sumac is found throughout the eastern half of the United States. It generally prefers fertile, upland sites but tolerates a wide variety of conditions. The leaflets are narrowed or rounded at the base and sharply pointed at the tip with finely serrated edges. The leaflets are dark green and smooth above, and pale beneath, except along the midrib. Compact clusters of greenish-yellow flowers bloom from June to July. Fruits mature from August to September. The fruiting head is a compact cluster of round, red, hairy fruits called drupes. Very hairy twigs and leafstalks. Buds are hairy, without scales. SMOOTH SUMAC - Rhus glabra L.- Smooth sumac is a U.S. native, deciduous, large shrub to small tree, seldom over 10-15 feet tall. It has alternate, compound leaves, 16-24 inches long. The leaflets are narrowed or rounded at the base and sharply pointed at the tip with finely toothed edges. Smooth sumac is widely distributed throughout the United States. It is extremely drought resistant and is commonly found in open fields and roadsides, fence rows, railroad rights-of-way, and burned areas, on sandy or gravelly soil. The leaflets are narrowed or rounded at the base and sharply pointed at the tip with finely toothed edges. The leaflets are dark green and smooth above, and pale beneath, except along the midrib. Compact clusters of greenish-yellow flowers bloom from June to July, and fruits mature from August to September. The fruiting head is a compact cluster of round, red, hairy fruits called drupes. Much like staghorn sumac except the twigs and leafstalks are hairless. FRAGRANT SUMAC - Rhus aromatica Ait. Straggling to upright native shrubs 0.5-2(-2.5) meters tall (rarely tree-like), forming colonial thickets of up to 10 feet spread, suckering from the roots. Fragrant sumac is native to most of the US east of the Rocky Mountains, from Ontario and western Quebec, Massachusetts and New Hampshire to Florida and west to the Great Plains in Texas to South Dakota. WINGED SUMAC - Rhus copallinum L. - Winged sumac is a native, deciduous, large shrub that rarely exceeds 10 feet. It has alternate, compound leaves, 16-24 inches long, with a winged leafstalk. Winged sumac is found throughout the eastern United States. Ed ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jess Riddle" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 2:33 PM Subject: [ENTS] Re: Sumac Ed, Rhus aromatica is a shrub common on thin soiled limestone sites. I've seen a vine like individual that was about eight feet tall, but three feet tall would be more typical. If I remember correctly, R. michauxii is also a small shrub and an extremely rare southeastern species. On the other hand, R. glabra is native to all 48 contiguous states, so there's no excuse for not having any measurements on them. Jess --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
