The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: fragrant sumac

Family: Anacardiaceae (cashew family)

Distribution: North America

Hardiness: USDA Zone 3

Life form: Deciduous shrub/Subshrub

Comments: Deciduous, irregularly spreading shrub with trifoliate, coarsely toothed, glossy, dark blue-green leaves. Slender stems are aromatic when bruised. Yellow flowers occur early spring followed by red, hairy drupes. Potential growth is 6' tall and 10' wide but size varies. If conditions allow, plants sucker, producing a colony. Excellent on banks, mass, or to stabilize soil. Can produce excellent red-purple fall color.