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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE SUMAC OR CASHEW FAMILY | |||||||||
| The sumacs are mainly pantropical,
with a few representatives in Eurasia and North America. There are features
that all, or at least most, of the sumacs have in common. For example, most
of these plants are trees or shrubs that have sticky substances called resins.
The leaves in this family usually have three or more leaflets with saw-toothed
edges. The flowers have five sepals, petals, and stamens. The fruit looks
like a berry but is actually called a drupe because it contains only one
seed. Some plants you eat come from the sumac family. The cashew (Anacardium occidentale), mango (Mangifera indica), and pistachio (Pistacia vera) are a few examples. Many members of the sumac family are known to cause your skin to itch. Some people may even be sensitive to the skin on mangoes! |
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| SMOOTH SUMAC | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Rhus glabra | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Smooth sumac is a shrub that can grow up to 3 m high. In Saskatchewan, however, it is only known to grow as high as 40 cm. It spreads through underground stems called suckers. Each leaf has seven or more leaflets. The flowers are greenish and are found in dense clumps at the end of the stem. The bright red colour of the fruit is due to red, sticky hairs on the fruits. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Smooth sumac grows in dry wooded areas. It likes rocky soils on hills and roadsides. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| There is only one population in Saskatchewan. It is in the middle of the province, near the Manitoba border. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| This plant is considered endangered in Saskatchewan because there is only one population and only a few smooth sumac plants in the province. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SMOOTH SUMAC | |||||||||
| * Are the leaves divided into more than seven
leaflets? * Do the leaves have a margin that looks like a saw-blade? * Are the flowers bright red with sticky hairs? * Did you find it in the middle of the province, near the Manitoba border? | |||||||||
If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found smooth sumac! |
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