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DWARF SUMACH. 

 Rhus copallina, Linnaeus. 



FOBM — A small shrab rarely more than 6-S ft. tall, becomes a tree only In Arkansas and 

 Texas. 



BABK — Ratber thin, light to reddish-brown, often smootb; on older specimens may peel off 

 into papery layers, frequently rougiiened by large, elevated, brownish projections. 



TWIGS — At first faairy. somewhat zigzag and greenish-red; later smooth, reddish-brown, and 

 roughened by prominent leaf-scars and large dark-colored lenticels; frequently roughened by large 

 elevated rugosities. 



BUDS — Alternate; terminal bud absent; axillary, small, spherical, covered witb rusty brown 

 pubescence. 



LEAVES — Alternate, compound, 6-12 Inches long, with winged petioles and 9-21 leaflets. 

 Leaflets ovate-lanceolate, acute at apex, often unequal and wedge-shaped at base, entire on 

 margin except near apex where a few serrate teeth may be found, usually smooth above and 

 pubescent below. 



LEAF-SCABS — Alternate, broadly crescent -shaped to inversely triangular; partly surround bads; 

 contain a few clusters of bundle-scars often occurring in 3s. 



FLOWEBS — Appear about July. Produced In axillary or terminal panlcels. Staminate and 

 pistillate usually occur on different plants. 



FEUIT — Matures about 5-6 weeks after flowers. Usually arranged in dense, stout, pubescent, 

 often persistent, red clusters. The individual fruit is spherical, about i of an inch across, 

 covered with a hairy red coat and contains a smooth orange-colored seed. 



WOOD — Diffuse-porous; soft, coarse-grained, light brown, richly striped with yellow and 

 black. Weight and uses are about the same as the Staghorn Sumach. 



DISTINGUISHING CHAEACTEBISTICS — The Dwarf Sumach, also known as Mountain Sumach 

 can be distinguished from our other native species of Sumach by its winged leaf -petioles and its 

 leaflets which are entire-margined except near the apex. Its branches contain a watery juice 

 while the branches of the Staghorn and Smooth Sumach contain a milky Juice. Its branches 

 are smooth while those of the Smooth Sumach are covered with a bloom and those of the 

 Staghorn Sumach with a velvety pubescence. It has neither terminal buds nor white fruit 

 like the Poison Sumach. 



EANGE — Maine to Florida, west to Nebraska and Texas. 



DISTEIBITTION IN PENNSYLVANIA— Local, often common, throughout the State. 



HABITAT — Common on dry hillsides and ridges. Occasional on rich bottomlands. Frequents 



abandoned fields. . 



IMPOBTANCE OF THE SPECIES — The Dwarf Sumach is merely a shrub east of the Mis- 

 sissippi and consequently of no commercial importance. It may be utilized In landscape gar- 

 dening on account of its dwarf form and attractive autumnal foliage. It reaches tree-size in 

 Arkansas and Texas. 



