B129 

 (leaf 2) 



Southwest, and are practically worthless or at least poor browse plants, except 

 occasionally for goats.* 



(2) Utah sumac (R. utahen'sis, syns. Schmaltz' 'ia affl'nis, S. simplicifo'lia), 

 a peculiar species placed by some in the genus Schmaltzia, with mostly undi- 

 vided, rounded, or kidney-shaped leaves, occurs in the sagebrush and pinou- 

 juniper belts from southern Utah to Arizona, possibly extending also into 

 southeastern California. This frequently abundant species, although usually 

 low in palatability, provides local browse for cattle, sheep, and goats, when 

 other forage is either scarce or lacking.* 



(3) Six or eight species composing the genus Schmaltzia, of some botanists, 

 of which skunkbush, annotated at length above, is the most familiar example, 

 occur in the AVest. These shrubs have divided (compound) leaves with 

 mostly three leaflets, and the group as a whole fairly closely resembles R. 

 trilobatu which is, by far, the commonest and most widely distributed species. 

 They are known by various vernacular names, including lemonade sumacs, 

 sweet sumacs, lemitas (sometimes spelled lametas), and three-lobed sumacs, 

 and are, by all odds, the most valuable species of the genus from a forage 

 standpoint. The palatability of the sjiecies of this group varies from practically 

 worthless to fair for cattle and sheep, the higher values prevailing chiefly in 

 the Southwest, where these sumacs also provide very good goat browse. "The 

 acid berries of these shrubs! are eaten by Indians and occasionally by whites, 

 and a rather pleasant beverage can be made from at least some of them." 4 

 The slender, pliable twigs were prized by the Indians for basket work. 



(4) About five species of true sumacs, that is, Rhus in a restricted sense, 

 are shrubs or small trees characterized by leaves with more than three leaflets 

 (pinnately odd compound), and bearing dense terminal clusters of scarlet, 

 berrylike fruits. Rocky Mountain sumac (R. oismonta'na) is typical of this 

 group, whose members are practically worthless as forage plants. Most 

 species of this type contain considerable tannin in the leaves and bark ; certain 

 eastern species are employed, to some extent, in the tanning industry. 

 Although somewhat coarse in growth habit, the brilliant autumn foliage and 

 bright-red "berries" of many species are very attractive and give them 

 horticultural value. 



