Chinese sumac is an Asian sumac with a telltale feature: thin green "wings" run along the leaf stalk between the leaflets. It is not native to the United States, but gardeners in USDA zones 5–8 grow it for its creamy late-summer flowers, orange-red fruit, and colorful fall leaves. It is also called nutgall tree, after the tannin-rich aphids make on its leaves.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A loose, spreading deciduous shrub or small tree, usually 15–24 ft (4.5–7 m) tall, often with several stems.
- Leaves
- Compound leaves 8–15 in (20–38 cm) long with 7–13 toothed leaflets. They turn yellow, orange, or red in fall.
- Flowers
- Tiny creamy-white flowers in big branched clusters 6–10 in (15–25 cm) long.
- Flowering time
- Late summer
- Fruit
- Small orange-red fruits ripen in fall.
Look-alikes
Shining sumac, also called winged sumac, has the same winged leaf stalk, but its 9–21 leaflets are glossy dark green with smooth edges. Chinese sumac has 7–13 toothed leaflets, and its flower clusters are creamy white rather than greenish yellow.
Why they get mixed upIt is a native US sumac and one of the few others with wings along the leaf stalk.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Gardens
- Range
- Native from the Himalaya east through China, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan, and south to Indochina and Sumatra. In the US it is known as a cultivated ornamental.
- Preferred conditions
- Needs full sun and handles many soils, including hot, dry sites.
Growing it
- Care
- Hardy in USDA zones 5–8. It spreads by root , so it fits best near a natural area rather than in a tidy bed.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Many older books call it Rhus javanica or Rhus semialata.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- The leaf galls are used in traditional Chinese medicine for ailments such as coughs and diarrhea.
More species to explore
Record what you meet and build your own collection
Your photos are kept with their date and place, and you can fill regional albums one species at a time.