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Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-1027
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Fragrant Sumac is a low, spreading deciduous shrub native to open woods, glades, rocky slopes and thickets across much of North America. Small yellow flowers open on bare branches in early spring, inconspicuous on their own but an early source of nectar and pollen, followed by fuzzy red berry clusters that ripen through summer and persist into winter, feeding songbirds and small mammals. The three-lobed leaves release a citrus-like scent when crushed and turn brilliant orange, red and purple in fall. It spreads by root suckers into thickets useful for erosion control, tolerates dry rocky soil and drought once established, and is unaffected by the juglone that black walnut trees exude.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 3–9
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Dry · Moist · Well-Drained
Vertical layer
Shrub- Soil pH
- 4.5–8
- Plant type
- Deciduous Tree
- Mature height
- 2–6 ft
- Mature spread
- 6–10 ft
- Plant spacing
- 3–4 ft
- Root type
- Rhizome
- Spread pattern
- Root
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The deeper layer
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- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
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Behind the record
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