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PLANT PROFILE LIST
NAME: Winged Sumac
SPECIES / FAMILY: Rhus copallina / Anacardiaceae
OTHER COMMON NAME(S): Smooth Sumac, Dwarf Sumach, Flameleaf Sumac, Winged Sumac, Shining Sumac
CONDITIONS:
sun-partial shade
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PARTS: |
EDIBLE |
TASTE |
RAW/COOK |
SEASON |
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All |
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Shoots |
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Leaves |
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Stalk/Stem |
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Buds |
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Flowers |
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Fruits |
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lemon |
RAW/DRY |
Summer |
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Pods |
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Seeds |
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Nuts |
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Roots |
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Bark |
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PORTION: small
COMMENT: Fruit - raw or cooked. The fruit is small with very little flesh, but it is easily harvested. When soaked for 10 - 30 minutes in hot water or 2-4 hours in cold water, it makes a very refreshing lemonade-like drink (without the fuzz of the Staghorn Sumac). The mixture should not be boiled since this will release tannic acids and make the drink astringent. The fruit can also be dried and ground into a powder then mixed with corn meal and used in cakes, porridges etc.
CAUTION: Anyone with known allergies to any member of the Cashew Family should avoid consuming sumac. There are some suggestions that the sap of this species can cause a skin rash in susceptible people, but this has not been substantiated.(1)
NUTRITION/MEDICINAL: A decoction of the root has been used in the treatment of dysentery. An infusion of the roots has been used in the treatment of VD. A poultice of the root has been applied to sores and skin eruptions. A tea made from the bark has been drunk to stimulate milk flow in nursing mothers. A decoction of the bark has been used as a wash for blisters and sunburn blisters. An infusion of the leaves has been used to cleanse and purify skin eruptions. The berries were chewed in the treatment of bed-wetting and mouth sores. Some caution is advised in the use of the leaves and stems of this plant, see the notes above on toxicity. (1)
LOOK-A-LIKES:
POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES:
OTHER USES: The leaves are rich in tannin, so is the bark and the fruit. The leaves can be collected as they fall in the autumn and used as a brown dye or as a mordant. The leaves contain 10 - 25% tannin. An oil is extracted from the seeds. It attains a tallow-like consistency on standing and is used to make candles. These burn brilliantly, though they emit a pungent smoke. The plants extensive root system makes it useful for stabilizing soils. A black dye is obtained from the fruit. A resin, 'copal resin', is obtained from the sap of this plant. When dissolved in any volatile liquid, such as oil of turpentine, it makes a beautiful varnish. (1)
SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):