Editing Sumac

{{Short description|Related species of plants in the family Anacardiaceae}}
{{About||poison sumac|Toxicodendron vernix|other uses|Sumac (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Sumak|the village in Turkey|Sumak, Pertek}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|name = Sumac
|fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Ypresian|Recent}}
|image = SumacFruit.JPG
|image_caption = Sumac fruit in the autumn season
|taxon = Rhus
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<ref name="GRIN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?10433
|title=''Rhus'' L. |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |date=2009-11-23 |access-date=2010-02-09}}</ref>
|type_species = ''[[Rhus coriaria]]''
|type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]<!--1753--><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40025260 |title=''Rhus'' L. |work=TROPICOS |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |access-date=2010-02-09}}</ref>
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = 54; see text
|subdivision_ref = <ref name = powo>{{Cite POWO|id=30005665-2|title=''Rhus'' {{au|L.}}|access-date=3 November 2024}}</ref>
|synonyms={{genus list|hidden=yes|header=12 Synonyms
 |Duckera|[[Fred Alexander Barkley|F.A.Barkley]]
 |Festania|[[Raf.]]
 |Lobadium|[[Raf.]]
 |Melanococca|[[Carl Ludwig Blume|Blume]]
 |Neostyphonia|[[John Adolph Shafer|Shafer]]
 |Pocophorum|[[Neck.]]
 |Rhoeidium|[[Edward Lee Greene|Greene]]
 |Schmaltzia|[[Desv.]] ex [[DC.]]
 |Styphonia|[[Nutt.]]
 |Sumacus|[[Raf.]]
 |Thezera|[[Raf.]]
 |Turpinia|[[Raf.]]
 }}
|synonyms_ref=<ref name = powo/>
}}

'''Sumac''' or '''sumach'''{{Efn|Other spellings include '''sumak''', '''soumak''', and '''sumaq'''.}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|uː|m|æ|k|,_|ˈ|ʃ|uː|-}} {{respell|S(H)OO|mak}}, {{IPAc-en|UKalso|ˈ|sj|uː|-}})—not to be confused with [[Toxicodendron vernix|poison sumac]]—is any of the roughly 35 species of [[flowering plant]]s in the [[genus]] '''''Rhus''''' (and related genera) of the [[cashew]] and [[mango]] tree family, [[Anacardiaceae]]. However, it is ''[[Rhus coriaria]]'' that is most commonly used for culinary purposes. Sumac is prized as a [[spice]]—especially in [[Kurdish cuisine|Kurdish]], [[Arab cuisine|Arab]], [[Lebanese cuisine|Lebanese]], [[Turkish cuisine|Turkish]], [[Armenian cuisine|Armenian]], [[Iranian cuisine|Iranian]], and other Eastern cuisines —and used as a [[Natural dye|dye]] and [[Alternative medicine|holistic]] remedy. The plants grow in [[Subtropics|subtropical]] and [[Temperate climate|temperate]] regions, on nearly every continent except Antarctica and South America.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rhus in Flora of China @ efloras.org|url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=128455|access-date=2023-02-08|website=www.efloras.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=USDA Plants Database|url=https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RHUS|access-date=2023-02-08|website=plants.usda.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Miller |first1=Allison J. |last2=Young |first2=David A. |last3=Wen |first3=Jun |title=Phylogeny and Biogeography of Rhus (Anacardiaceae) Based on ITS Sequence Data |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/322948 |journal=International Journal of Plant Sciences |access-date=20 September 2023 |pages=1401–1407 |doi=10.1086/322948 |date=2001|volume=162 |issue=6 |jstor=10.1086/322948 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> 

==Description==
Sumacs are [[dioecious]] [[shrub]]s and small [[tree]]s in the family [[Anacardiaceae]] that can reach a height of {{convert|1|to(-)|10|m|ft|0|spell=in}}. The [[leaf|leaves]] are usually [[Pinnate|pinnately compound]], though some species have trifoliate or simple leaves. The [[flower]]s are in dense [[panicle]]s or spikes {{convert|5|-|30|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long, each flower very small, greenish, creamy white or red, with five petals. The [[fruit]]s are reddish, thin-fleshed [[drupe]]s covered in varying levels of hairs at maturity and form dense clusters at branch tips, sometimes called sumac bobs.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Sumacs propagate both by [[seed]] ([[Zoochorous|spread]] by [[bird]]s and other animals through their [[feces|droppings]]), and by new [[Shoot (botany)|shoot]]s from [[rhizome]]s, forming large [[Clonal colony|clonal colonies]].{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}{{Clear|left}}

==Taxonomy==
The taxonomy of ''Rhus'' has a long history, with [[de Candolle]] proposing a subgeneric classification with 5 sections in 1825. At its largest [[Circumscription (taxonomy)|circumscription]], ''Rhus'', with over 250 species, has been the largest genus in the family [[Anacardiaceae]].

Other authors used [[subgenera]] and placed some species in separate genera, hence the use of ''Rhus'' ''[[sensu lato]]'' and ''Rhus'' ''[[sensu stricto]]'' (''s.s.''). One classification uses two subgenera, ''Rhus'' (about 10&nbsp;[[spp.]]) and ''Lobadium'' (about 25&nbsp;spp.), while at the same time ''[[Cotinus]]'', ''[[Duckera]]'', ''[[Malosma]]'', ''[[Metopium]]'', ''[[searsia (plant)|Searsia]]'' and ''[[Toxicodendron]]'' segregated to create ''Rhus'' ''s.s.''. Other genera that have been segregated include ''[[Actinocheita]]'' and ''[[Baronia (plant)|Baronia]]''. As defined, ''Rhus'' ''s.s.'' appears [[monophyletic]] by [[molecular phylogeny]] research. However, the subgenera do not appear to be monophyletic. The larger subgenus, ''Lobadium'', has been divided further into sections, ''Lobadium'', ''Terebinthifolia'', and ''Styphonia'' (two subsections).{{sfn|Miller et al|2001}}{{sfn|Pell|2004}}{{sfn|Andrés-Hernández|Terrazas|2009}}

===Accepted species by continent===
As of November 2024, [[Plants of the World Online]] accepts 54 species.<ref name=powo/>

'''Asia, North Africa and southern Europe'''
* ''[[Rhus amherstensis]]'' {{small|W.W.Sm.}}
* ''[[Rhus chinensis]]'' <small>[[Philip Miller|Mill.]]</small> – Chinese sumac
* ''[[Rhus coriaria]]'' {{small|L.}} – Sicilian sumac, Tanner's sumac
* ''[[Rhus dhuna]]'' {{small|Buch.-Ham. ex Hook.f.}}
* ''[[Rhus potaninii]]'' {{small|Maxim.}} – Potanin's lacquer tree or Chinese varnish tree
* ''[[Rhus punjabensis]]'' {{small|J.L.Stewart ex Brandis}}
* ''[[Rhus taishanensis]]'' {{small|S.B.Liang}}
* ''[[Rhus teniana]]'' {{small|Hand.-Mazz.}}
* ''[[Rhus wilsonii]]'' {{small|Hemsl.}}

'''Australia, Pacific'''
* ''[[Rhus caudata]]'' {{small|Lauterb.}}
* ''[[Rhus lamprocarpa]]'' {{small|Merr. & L.M.Perry}}
* ''[[Rhus lenticellosa]]'' {{small|Lauterb.}}
* ''[[Rhus linguata]]'' {{small|Slis}}
* ''[[Rhus sandwicensis]]'' <small>[[Asa Gray|A.Gray]]</small> – ''neneleau'' or Hawaiian sumac ([[Hawaii]])
* ''[[Rhus taitensis]]'' <small>[[Jean Baptiste Antoine Guillemin|Guill.]]</small> (Northeast [[Australia]], [[Malesia]], [[Micronesia]], [[French Polynesia]])

'''North America'''
{{div col}}
* ''[[Rhus allophyloides]]'' {{small|Standl.}}
* ''[[Rhus andrieuxii]]'' {{small|Engl.}}
* ''[[Rhus aromatica]]'' {{small|Aiton}} – fragrant sumac
* ''[[Rhus arsenei]]'' {{small|F.A.Barkley}}
* ''[[Rhus × ashei]]'' {{small|(Small) Greene}} (''R. glabra'' × ''R. michauxii'')
* ''[[Rhus bahamensis]]'' {{small|G.Don}}
* ''[[Rhus barclayi]]'' {{small|(Hemsl.) Standl.}}
* ''[[Rhus chondroloma]]'' {{small|Standl.}}
* ''[[Rhus choriophylla]]'' {{small|Wooton & Standl.}}
* ''[[Rhus ciliolata]]'' {{small|Turcz.}}
* ''[[Rhus copallinum]]'' {{small|L.}} – winged or shining sumac
* ''[[Rhus duckerae]]'' {{small|F.A.Barkley}}
* ''[[Rhus galeottii]]'' {{small|Standl.}}
* ''[[Rhus glabra]]'' {{small|L.}} – smooth sumac
* ''[[Rhus integrifolia]]'' {{small|(Nutt.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex W.H.Brewer & S.Watson}} – lemonade sumac
* ''[[Rhus jaliscana]]'' {{small|Standl.}}
* ''[[Rhus kearneyi]]'' {{small|F.A.Barkley}} – Kearney sumac
* ''[[Rhus lanceolata]]'' {{small|(A.Gray) Britton}} – prairie sumac
* ''[[Rhus lentii]]'' {{small|Kellogg}}
* ''[[Rhus michauxii]]'' {{small|Sarg.}} – Michaux's sumac
* ''[[Rhus microphylla]]'' {{small|Engelm.}} – desert sumac, littleleaf sumac
* ''[[Rhus muelleri]]'' {{small|Standl. & F.A.Barkley}}
* ''[[Rhus nelsonii]]'' {{small|F.A.Barkley}}
* ''[[Rhus oaxacana]]'' {{small|Loes.}}
* ''[[Rhus ovata]]'' {{small|S.Watson}} – sugar sumac
* ''[[Rhus pachyrrhachis]]'' {{small|Hemsl.}}
* ''[[Rhus palmeri]]'' {{small|Rose}}
* ''[[Rhus × pulvinata]]'' {{small|Greene}} (''R. glabra'' × ''R. typhina'')
* ''[[Rhus rubifolia]]'' {{small|Turcz.}}
* ''[[Rhus schiedeana]]'' {{small|Schltdl.}}
* ''[[Rhus schmidelioides]]'' {{small|Schltdl.}}
* ''[[Rhus standleyi]]'' {{small|F.A.Barkley}}
* ''[[Rhus tamaulipana]]'' {{small|B.L.Turner}}
* ''[[Rhus tepetate]]'' {{small|Standl. & F.A.Barkley}}
* ''[[Rhus terebinthifolia]]'' {{small|Schltdl. & Cham.}}
* ''[[Rhus trilobata]]'' <small>[[Thomas Nuttall|Nutt.]]</small> – skunkbush sumac
* ''[[Rhus typhina]]'' {{small|L.}} – staghorn sumac
* ''[[Rhus vestita]]'' {{small|Loes.}}
* ''[[Rhus virens]]'' <small>[[Ferdinand Lindheimer|Lindh.]] ex [[Asa Gray|A.Gray]]</small>– evergreen sumac
* †''[[Rhus boothillensis]]'' <small>Flynn, DeVore, & Pigg</small>-[[Ypresian]], Washington
* †''[[Rhus garwellii]]'' <small>Flynn, DeVore, & Pigg</small>-[[Ypresian]], Washington
* †''[[Rhus malloryi]]'' <small>[[Jack A. Wolfe|Wolfe]] & [[Wesley C. Wehr|Wehr]]</small> – [[Ypresian]], Washington
* †''[[Rhus republicensis]]'' <small>Flynn, DeVore, & Pigg</small>-[[Ypresian]], Washington
* †''[[Rhus rooseae]]'' <small>Manchester</small> – [[Middle Eocene]], Oregon
{{div col end}}

====Formerly placed here====
* ''[[Searsia mysorensis]]'' {{small|(G.Don) Moffett}} (as ''Rhus mysorensis'' {{small|G.Don}}) – Mysore sumac

==Etymology==
The word ''sumac'' traces its etymology from Old French ''sumac'' (13th century), from Mediaeval Latin ''sumach'', from Arabic ''{{transliteration|ar|summāq}}'' ({{lang|ar|سماق}}), from [[Syriac language|Syriac]] ''{{transliteration|syc|summāqa}}'' ([[wikt:ܣܘܡܩܐ|ܣܘܡܩܐ]])- meaning "red".<ref>{{cite web |title=sumac |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/sumac |website=www.etymonline.com |access-date=26 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The generic name ''Rhus'' derives from [[Ancient Greek]] ῥοῦς (''rhous''), meaning "sumac", of unknown etymology; the suggestion that it is connected with the verb ῥέω (''rheō''), "to flow", is now rejected by scholars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/rhus|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319095138/https://www.lexico.com/definition/rhus|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 19, 2022|title=Rhus &#124; Definition of Rhus by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Rhus|website=Lexico Dictionaries &#124; English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lsj.gr/wiki/%E1%BF%A5%CE%BF%E1%BF%A6%CF%82|title=ῥοῦς - Ancient Greek (LSJ) 👍|website=lsj.gr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q-TiIMgrLCgC&q=%E1%BF%A5%CE%BF%E1%BF%A6%CF%82&pg=PA146|title=Hippocratic Recipes: Oral and Written Transmission of Pharmacological Knowledge in Fifth- And Fourth-Century Greece|first=Laurence M. V.|last=Totelin|date=October 10, 2009|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004171541|via=Google Books}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Sumac-Drupes.JPG|Drupes of a staghorn sumac in Coudersport, Pennsylvania
File:Rhus typhina.JPG|A young branch of staghorn sumac
File:Rhus copallinum.jpg|Winged sumac leaves and flowers
File:Rhus sp hybrid SRIC SR 00-05-19.jpg|''[[Rhus]]'' hybrid fossil – about 49.5&nbsp;million years old, Early [[Ypresian]], [[Klondike Mountain Formation]],  Washington
File:Sumaq.jpg|Iranian sumac
</gallery>

==Cultivation and uses==
[[File:Sumac.jpg|thumb|300px|Sumac spice]]
Species including the fragrant sumac (''[[Rhus aromatica|R. aromatica]]''), the littleleaf sumac (''[[Rhus microphylla|R. microphylla]]''), the smooth sumac ([[Rhus glabra|''R. glabra'']]), and the staghorn sumac ([[Rhus typhina|''R. typhina'']]) are grown for [[Ornamental plant|ornament]], either as the wild types or as [[cultivar]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-06-18|title=Plant Database: Rhus typhina|url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHTY|access-date=2020-09-28|website=www.wildflower.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-12-12|title=Plant Database: Rhus glabra|url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=rhgl|access-date=2020-09-28|website=www.wildflower.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-11-03|title=Plant Database: Rhus aromatica|url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHAR4|access-date=2020-09-28|website=www.wildflower.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-02-20|title=Plant database: Rhus microphylla|url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHMI3|access-date=2020-09-28|website=www.wildflower.org}}</ref>

===In food===
The dried fruits of some species are ground to produce a tangy, crimson spice popular in many countries.<ref name="taste">One may use sumac as a tisane or tea substitute by boiling the dried leaves.[http://www.taste.com.au/how+to/articles/52/sumac Sumac - Ingredients - Taste.com.au<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=North American Sumacs You Should Know About|url=https://www.thespruce.com/sumac-trees-and-shrubs-3269722|access-date=2023-02-08|website=The Spruce|language=en}}</ref> Fruits are also used to make a traditional "[[Lemonade#Pink lemonade|pink lemonade]]" beverage by steeping them in water, straining to remove the hairs that may irritate the mouth or throat, sometimes adding sweeteners such as honey or sugar. Sumac's tart flavor comes from high amounts of [[malic acid]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/46033244|title=Comparative Study on the Chemical Composition of Syrian Sumac ( Rhus coriaria L.) and Chinese Sumac ( Rhus typhina L.) Fruits}}</ref>

The fruits ([[drupe]]s) of  ''[[Rhus coriaria]]'' are ground into a reddish-purple powder used as a [[spice]] in [[Middle Eastern cuisine]] to add a tart, [[lemon]]y taste to salads or meat.<ref name="taste" /> In [[Arab cuisine]], it is used as a garnish on ''[[meze]]'' dishes such as [[hummus]] and ''[[Tashi (dip)|tashi]]'', it is also commonly added to [[falafel]]. Syria uses the spice also, it is one of the main ingredients of Kubah Sumakieh in Aleppo of Syria, it is added to salads in the [[Levant]], as well as being one of the main ingredients in the Palestinian dish ''[[musakhan]]''. In [[Afghan cuisine|Afghan]], [[Armenian cuisine|Armenian]], [[Iraqi cuisine|Iraqi]], [[Iranian cuisine|Iranian]] and [[Mizrahi cuisine|Mizrahi]] cuisines, sumac is added to rice or ''[[kebab]]''. In [[Armenian cuisine|Armenian]], [[Azerbaijani cuisine|Azerbaijani]], [[Central Asian cuisine|Central Asian]], [[Syrian cuisine|Syrian]], [[Iraqi cuisine|Iraqi]], [[Jordanian cuisine|Jordanian]], [[Palestinian cuisine|Palestinian]], [[Lebanese cuisine|Lebanese]], [[Turkish cuisine|Turkish]] and [[Kurdish cuisine|Kurdish]] cuisines, it is added to salads,  ''kebab'' and ''[[lahmajoun]]''. ''[[Rhus coriaria]]'' is used in the spice mixture ''[[za'atar]]''.<ref>Christine Manfield, Charlie Trotter, Ashley Barber -Spice 2008 - Page 28 "Sumac This reddish ground spice is made from the berries of the sumac bush,"</ref><ref>Aliza Green ''Field Guide to Herbs & Spices: How to Identify, Select, and Use ...'' 2006 - Page 257 "In Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, sumac is cooked with water to a thick sour paste, which is added to meat and vegetable dishes; this method was also common in Roman times. Sumac appears in the middle eastern spice mixture za'atar (page 288) ..."</ref>

During [[Middle Ages|medieval times]], primarily from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, sumac appeared in cookbooks frequently used by the affluent in Western Europe. One dish in particular called ''sumāqiyya'', a stew made from sumac, was frequently rendered as "somacchia" by Europeans.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq, al-Muẓaffar ibn Naṣr |url= |title=Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq's Tenth-century Baghdadi Cookbook|date=2010|publisher=Brill |location=Leiden, Netherlands |edition=Rev. |isbn=978-90-04-18811-2|oclc=773412426}}</ref>

In North America, the smooth sumac (''[[Rhus glabra|R. glabra]]''), three-leaf sumac (''[[Rhus trilobata|R. trilobata]]''), and staghorn sumac (''[[Rhus typhina|R. typhina]]'') are sometimes used to make a beverage termed "sumac-ade", "Indian lemonade", or "rhus juice".{{citation needed|date=December 2020}} This drink is made by soaking the drupes in cool water, rubbing them to extract the essence, straining the liquid through a cotton cloth, and sweetening it. Native Americans also use the leaves and drupes of these sumacs combined with [[tobacco]] in traditional smoking mixtures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=rhus+glabra|title=BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database, Rhus glabra}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=rhus+trilobata|title=BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database, Rhus trilobata}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=rhus+typhina|title=BRIT Native American Ethnobotany Database, Rhus typhina}}</ref>

===Dye and tanning agent===
The leaves and bark of most sumac species contain high levels of [[tannin]]s and have been used in the manufacturing of leather by many cultures around the world. The Hebrew name ''og ha-bursaka'im'' means "tanner's sumac", as does the Latin name of ''[[Rhus coriaria|R. coriaria]]''. The leaves of certain sumacs yield [[tannin]] (mostly [[pyrogallol-type tannin|pyrogallol]]-type), a substance used in vegetable [[Tanning (leather)|tanning]]. Notable sources include the leaves of ''R. coriaria'', Chinese gall on ''[[Rhus chinensis|R. chinensis]]'', and wood and roots of ''[[Rhus pentaphylla|R. pentaphylla]]''. [[Leather]] tanned with sumac is flexible, light in weight, and light in color. One type of leather made with sumac tannins is [[morocco leather]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Davis|first=Charles Thomas |url=http://archive.org/details/manufactureoflea01davi|title=The Manufacture of Leather: Being a Description of All of the Processes for the Tanning, Tawing, Currying, Finishing and Dyeing of Every Kind of Leather |date=1885|publisher=Philadelphia, H. C. Baird & co.; etc. |url-access=registration}}</ref>

The dyeing property of sumac needed to be considered when it was shipped as a fine floury substance in sacks as a light cargo accompanying heavy cargoes such as marble. Sumac was especially dangerous to marble: "When sumac dust settles on white marble, the result is not immediately apparent, but if it once becomes wet, or even damp, it becomes a powerful purple dye, which penetrates the marble to an extraordinary depth."<ref>{{Cite book|title = Marble and marble workers: a handbook for architects, artists, masons and students|last = Lee|first = Arthur|publisher = Crosby Lockwood & Son|year = 1888|location = London|pages = 19}}</ref>

[[Ibn Badis]] describes a formula for making red ink out of leeched sumac mixed with gum.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Levey |first1=Martin |title=Mediaeval Arabic Bookmaking and Its Relation to Early Chemistry and Pharmacology |journal=Transactions of the American Philosophical Society |date=1962 |volume=52 |issue=4 |pages=24 |doi=10.2307/1005932|jstor=1005932 }}</ref>

{{nihongo|Sumac-dye|黄櫨染|kōrozen}} was used only for the outerwear of the [[Emperor of Japan]], thus being one of the [[Forbidden colors (Japan)|forbidden сolor]]s.<ref>{{cite book|last = Shaver |first =R. |title = Kabuki Costume |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Pf3PAgAAQBAJ |publisher= Tuttle Publishing |date = 2013 |pages = 79 |isbn = 9781462903986}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Nihon Shikisai Gakkai|title=Shinpen shikisai kagaku handobukku|publisher=Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai|date=1985|isbn=4-13-061000-7|language=ja}}</ref>

===Traditional medicinal use===
Sumac was used as a treatment for several different ailments in medieval medicine, primarily in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries (where sumac was more readily available than in Europe). An 11th-century shipwreck off the coast of [[Rhodes]], excavated by archeologists in the 1970s, contained commercial quantities of sumac [[drupe]]s. These could have been intended for use as medicine, as a culinary spice, or as a dye.<ref>{{cite book |author=Bass, George Fletcher |author2=Allan, James W. |title=Serçe Limanı: An Eleventh-century Shipwreck |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E6ZJ-05aC-sC&pg=PA506 |year=2003 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=978-0-89096-947-2 |page=506 }}</ref> A clinical study showed that dietary sumac decreases the [[blood pressure]] in patients with [[hypertension]] and can be used as [[adjunctive treatment]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ardalani |first1=Hamidreza |last2=Moghadam |first2=Maryam Hassanpour |last3=Rahimi |first3=Roja |last4=Soltani |first4=Jalal |last5=Mozayanimonfared |first5=Azadeh |last6=Moradi |first6=Mehdi |last7=Azizi |first7=Ali |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291274108 |title=Sumac as a novel adjunctive treatment in hypertension: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial |journal=RSC Advances |date=2016 |volume=6 |issue=14 |pages=11507–11512 |doi=10.1039/C5RA22840A|bibcode=2016RSCAd...611507A }}</ref>

===Other uses===
Some beekeepers use dried sumac bobs as a source of fuel for their [[Bee smoker|smokers]].<ref>Avitabile, Alphonse. Sammataro, Diana. The Beekeeper's Handbook. Publisher: Comstock 1998. {{ISBN|978-0801485039}}</ref>

Sumac stems also have a soft pith in the center that is easily removed to make them useful in traditional Native American pipemaking. They were commonly used as pipe stems in the northern United States.<ref>Lewis, Thomas H. The Medicine Men: Oglala Sioux Ceremony and Healing. Publisher: University of Nebraska Press. 1992. {{ISBN|978-0803279391}}</ref>

Dried sumac wood [[Fluorescence|fluoresces]] under long-wave [[ultraviolet]] radiation.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zjJTsHvHoZ0C |title=Understanding Wood: a Craftsman's Guide to Wood Technology |first=R. Bruce |last=Hoadley |edition=2 |publisher=Taunton Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-56158-358-4 |chapter=Chapter 5: Other Properties of Wood |pages=105–107}}</ref>

==Toxicity and control==
Some species formerly recognized in ''Rhus'', such as [[poison ivy]] (''Toxicodendron radicans'', [[syn.]] ''Rhus toxicodendron''), [[Rhus diversiloba|poison oak]] (''Toxicodendron diversilobum'', syn. ''Rhus diversiloba''), and [[poison sumac]] (''Toxicodendron vernix'', syn. ''Rhus vernix''), produce the allergen [[urushiol]] and can cause severe delayed hypersensitivity reactions. Poison sumac may be identified by its white drupes, which are quite different from the red drupes of true ''Rhus'' species.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.britannica.com/plant/poison-sumac|title=Poison sumac|publisher=Encyclopedia Brittanica}}</ref>

Mowing of sumac is not a good control measure, since the wood is springy, resulting in jagged, sharp-pointed stumps when mown. The plant will quickly recover with new growth after mowing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2298&context=extensionhist |first1=John |last1=Ortmann |last2=Miles |first2=Katherine L. |last3=Stubbendieck |first3=James H. |last4=Schacht |first4=Walter |title=Management of Smooth Sumac on Grasslands |series=Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension |publisher=University of Nebraska-Lincoln |year=1997 |access-date=July 27, 2024}}</ref> [[Goats]] have long been considered an efficient and quick removal method, as they eat the bark, which helps prevent new shoots. Sumac propagates by [[rhizome]]. Small shoots will be found growing near a more mature sumac tree via a shallow running root quite some distance from the primary tree. Thus, root pruning is a means of control without eliminating the plants altogether.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Andrés-Hernández|first1=A. R.|last2=Terrazas|first2=Teresa|title=Leaf architecture of ''Rhus'' s.str. (Anacardiaceae)|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230321099|journal=Feddes Repertorium|date=October 2009|volume=120|issue=5–6|pages=293–306|doi=10.1002/fedr.200911109}}
* {{cite journal | last1 = Miller | first1 = Allison J. |last2 = Young | first2 = David A. | last3 = Wen | first3 = Jun| title = Phylogeny and Biogeography of ''Rhus'' (Anacardiaceae) Based on ITS Sequence Data | journal = [[International Journal of Plant Sciences]] | volume = 162 | year = 2001 | pages = 1401–1407 | doi = 10.1086/322948 | issue = 6| s2cid = 85287571 |ref={{harvid|Miller et al|2001}} }}
* Moffett, RO. "A Revision of Southern African Rhus species". ''FSA'' (''Flora of South Africa'') vol 19 (3) Fascicle 1.
* {{cite thesis |last1=Pell |first1=Susan Katherine |title=Molecular systematics of the cashew family (Anacardiaceae)|date=May 2004|publisher=Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University|url=http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04152004-101232/unrestricted/Pell_dis.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714020746/http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04152004-101232/unrestricted/Pell_dis.pdf |url-status=dead|archive-date=14 July 2010 |type=PhD}}
* {{cite book| author = Schmidt, Ernst | author2 = Lötter, Mervyn |author3=McCleland, Warren | title = Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park| year = 2002| publisher = Jacana Media| isbn = 978-1-919777-30-6 }}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Rhus}}

{{Herbs & spices}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q157649}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Rhus| ]]
[[Category:Arab spices]]
[[Category:Caucasian cuisine]]
[[Category:Dioecious plants]]
[[Category:Mediterranean cuisine]]
[[Category:Middle Eastern cuisine]]
[[Category:Sour foods]]
[[Category:Spices]]
[[Category:Plants used in Native American cuisine]]