Copy permalink to share

Rhus Linnaeus. Subfamily: Anacardioideae. Common name: Sumac.

Key to Rhus

A genus of about 35 species, trees, shrubs, and lianas, temperate and subtropical, of Eurasia, Hawaii, North America, and n. Central America. The subgenera and sections follow Andrés-Hernández et al. (2014). There is some merit to the idea that Rhus should be split into two or more genera, including in our area Rhus s.s. and Lobadium.

Key advice:Two hybrids have been documented to occur naturally in our area: Rhus ×borealis Greene (Rhus glabra × typhina) and Rhus ×ashei (Small) Greene (Rhus glabra × michauxii). They are intermediate between their parents. For instance, Rhus ×ashei has sparsely pubescent leaves and stems, slight winging of the rachis between the terminal leaflets, greater potential stature than R. michauxii, and leaflets with a length/width ratio of 2.5-3. Hardin & Phillips (1985b) discuss other natural and artificial hybrids in Rhus.

References: Andrés-Hernández et al. (2014); Barkley (1937); Greene (1905); Hardin & Phillips (1985a); Miller, Young, & Wen (2001); Mitchell & Pell (2019) In Naczi & collaborators (2019); Moffett (2007); Pell et al. In Kubitzki (2011); Pell, Mitchell, & Miller (2024) In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2024); Yi, Miller, & Wen (2007). Show full citations.

Show in key(s)

Show parent family | Show parent in key(s)

Show species in Rhus

Your browser does not support SVGs

Hover over a shape, letter, icon, or arrow on the map for definition or see the legend. Data for arrows not developed for genera and families which may have species only occurring outside the flora area.

image of plant© Bruce A. Sorrie | Rhus typhina | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Gary P. Fleming | Rhus typhina | Original Image ⭷

Feedback

See something missing or incorrect about Rhus? Let us know here:

  1. Please include your name and if possible, email in case when need to clarify what you wrote.
  2. If you opt out of including email, please be as specific as possible (e.g., which photo is incorrect?)
  3. Please do not submit questions asking to identify plants or about horticultural topics (e.g., how do I control an invasive plant in my garden?). Instead, those questions can be submitted here for the Carolinas region only.
  4. Please do not send us feedback about unkeyed species as this work is ongoing.
  5. Please allow time for flora edits to show in our next data release. We greatly appreciate your feedback but may require extra time to research complicated taxonomic issues.