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Skunkbush Sumac

Rhus trilobata

Skunkbush sumac is the western dryland sumac, a dense mounding shrub of three-lobed leaflets that release a sharp, resinous smell when crushed — pleasant or not depending on the nose. It is exceptionally drought- and cold-hardy, roots deeply, and suckers to hold banks, road cuts and windbreaks in ground where little else will establish. Fuzzy red fruit ripens in summer and hangs into fall, feeding quail, grouse and songbirds through the lean months. Soaked ten to thirty minutes in cool water the fruit makes a refreshing lemonade-like drink; it should not be boiled, which pulls tannins and turns it astringent. The fruit is also dried, mixed with cornmeal or made into jam. Its split stems were a staple basketry material across the Southwest and Great Basin, and fall color is a reliable orange to scarlet.

Family

Anacardiaceae

Type

shrub

Lifespan

perennial

Height

4–4 ft

Spacing

3–8 ft apart

Light

sun, part shade

Soil moisture

dry, moist

Soil pH

neutral, alkaline

Bloom

March, April

Bloom colors

white, yellow

Wildlife value

pollinators, mammals, songbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~58 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

hedge or screen

Native states

AR, AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WY