Plant Sumac Shrubs for Fall Foliage?
Monday September 24, 2007
As gardeners, we don't show much respect for plants that grow naturally in our areas. We like a challenge. We've even coined a word for plants that grow without our help: weeds. Sumac is one of those plants that gets no respect. It's so often said in conjunction with poison, that many people think all sumacs are poisonous. Untrue. About's Guide to Landscaping wants to convince your that sumac shrubs are an underrated element of fall foliage. Take a look. It won't hurt you.
Photo: © Marie Iannotti (2007) licensed to About.com, Inc.
Comments
Are you kidding us? Sumac is related to poison ivy. Like poison ivy it is hard to get rid of. Like poison ivy it IS poisonous. You CAN touch staghorn sumac without getting a rash. Don’t burn it and let the smoke touch you. The poison within will rise with the smoke and give you a rash. My co-worker’s father ended up at his hospitals’ local emergency room with quite a rash. If I remember correctly, sumac spreads like poison ivy through the roots. Who would want to put that in their garden? If you don’t mind that, have fun.
No, I’m not kidding. Yes it does tend to sucker and run and I wouldn’t plant it in a garden bed or formal area, but if you have room at the edge of a lawn, it can be controlled simply by mowing.
And yes it is related to poison ivy, but as David says in the article, they are all in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae), along with pistachios and mangos. Any of these plants can cause allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to them, but for the most part the only sumac that is a danger is the poisonous variety with the white berries. In fact, in some parts of the world, sumac berries are eaten.
Several Cooperative Extensions recommend planting sumac trees for their value to birds and even as erosion control. Some, like the Cutleaf Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra lanciniata), are quite attractive and provide incredible fall color.
This stuff is terrible my nieghbor has some and I cant control it along my property edge because of the slope I am clearing it out yet again and spraying to hopefully kill the thing that spawns more when disturbed, i cut it down last year and it came back worse than before, evil wicked plant, you can have it i just want to kill it off.