VIRGINIAN SUMACH. 185 
5. R. t. coccinea. Scarlet-flowered Sumach, with dioBcious sexes, leaves glau- 
cous beneath, flowers red, and fruit of a rich, velvety crimson. 
Geography and History. The Rhus typhina is found in a wild state in 
almost every part of North America, from Canada to Texas, and even west of 
the Rocky Mountains. It was cultivated in England, by Parkinson, in 1629, 
and is now common in most of the European gardens and collections. 
Soil, Culture, fyc. This species, or its varieties under notice, grows abun- 
dantly, both in cultivated and in uncultivated tracts. In woodlands, it is found 
near the margins of open glades ; and, in arable fields, suitable for growing corn, 
it is more common than in low meadows. In some parts of the country it flour- 
ishes like a weed, and a field left uncultivated for a few years, becomes overrun 
with it from berries which have been disseminated by birds, or other natural 
causes; and, when the ground is again brought into tillage, the roots prove a 
great impediment to the plough. This shrub, like all others of the genus, is 
easily propagated by seeds or by cuttings of the roots. As it is of an open, irreg- 
ular growth, and of not many years' durability, it should never be placed where 
it is intended to serve as a screen. The most striking situation in which it can 
be placed, is when standing alone on a lawn. If trained to a single stem, it 
forms an interesting little tree, and well deserves to be cherished, from its large 
and beautiful foliage, its varied colours in autumn, and its spikes of dark-red 
fruit, which diversify the scenery of a northern winter. 
Properties and Uses. On cutting the stem of this shrub, a yellowish, resinous 
juice flows out from between the bark and wood. One or two of the outer cir- 
cles of the wood are white, but those innermost, are of a yellowish-green, or 
orange-colour, having a strong aromatic odour. It contains a soft pith, of a 
brownish colour, and is frequently more than half of an inch in diameter. The 
wood and leaves are used in tanning the finer kinds of leather, and the roots are 
prescribed as a febrifugal medicine. The branches, boiled with the berries, 
afford a black, ink-like tincture ; and the berries may be employed alone for 
dyeing red. They are eaten by children with impunity, though they are very 
sour. Professor Rogers, in " Silliman's Journal,'' observes that they contain a 
large portion of malic acid, and are used as a substitute for lemons in various 
preparations of domestic economy, and in medicine. 
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