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Sumachs and the Smoke Tree

In the South, the leaves are gathered in summer in considerable quantities, for they are rich in tannin, and when dried and pulverised, are used for tanning leather. A yellow dyestuff is also extracted from them.

The Poison Sumach (Rhus Vernix, Linn.), "one of the most beautiful, but unfortunately the most poisonous of the sumachs," ranges from New England to Minnesota, south to Georgia, and across to Texas. It is more to be dreaded than the poison ivy, or the poisonwood of Florida, both of which are near relatives. Though widely distributed, it always grows in swampy land, and as its leaves and flowers proclaim it a sumach, people ought to learn to suspect it because of its habitat. Only redfruited sumachs are safe to touch. This species has greyish-white berries. The clusters droop; in harmless sumachs they stand erect.

White berries in drooping clusters in swampy ground warn the collector to pass the poison sumach by, no matter how alluring its brilliant foliage. There is certain poisoning for those who are rash enough to touch it.

The Western Sumach, or Mahogany (Rhus integrifolia, Benth. & Hook.), is entirely different, of course, from the true mahogany, a lumber tree of the tropics. This is a low, stout-trunked evergreen tree which forms thickets along the coast bluffs of Lower California and the adjacent islands. The leaves are simple, oval, and often toothed like the holly. Its flowers are in scant terminal clusters, white or rosy, succeeded by large, red, hairy berries. A cooling drink is sometimes made of the acid, fatty exudations of these berries, and the wood makes good fuel.

The Smooth Sumach (R. glabra, Linn.) is rarely given rank as a tree, though it sometimes almost deserves it. Like the staghorn, this species has serrate leaflets and dense, erect clusters of red fruit. But it is smooth instead of hair, except its fruits, and its twigs have a pale, glaucous bloom. This is one of the best species for decorative planting. Its foliage is clean and fine, and turns to rich colours in fall. Its large fruits last late into winter. The berries, bark and leaves are used in the treatment of fevers. A cooling beverage, pleasantly acid, is made of the unripe fruit in summer. This species is found everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains, and extends to British Columbia and Arizona. It is oftenest seen in situations chosen also by the staghorn sumach.