140 TREES 



and along the mountains to the Gulf states. In cultiva- 

 tion, it is found in the Middle West and on the Atlantic 

 seaboard, and is a favorite in central and northern 

 Europe. 



The Dwarf Sumach 



R. copallina, Linn. 



The black dwarf, or mountain sumach, is smaller, with 

 softer, closer velvet coating its twigs and Hning its leaves, 

 than the burly staghorn sumach wears. It grows all over 

 the eastern half of the United States, even to the foothills 

 of the Rocky Mountains, and rises to thirty feet in height 

 above a short, stout trunk in the mountains of Tennessee 

 and North Carolina. Its leaves are the most beautiful in 

 the sumach family. They are six to eight inches long, the 

 central stalk bearing nine to twenty-one dark green 

 leaflets, lustrous above, lined w^ith silvery pubescence. A 

 striking peculiarity is that the central leaf -stem is winged 

 on each side with a leafy frill between the pairs of leaflets. 

 In autumn, the foliage mass changes to varying shades of 

 scarlet and crimson. The flower clusters are copious and 

 loose, and the heavy fruits nod from their great weight and 

 show the most beautiful shades, ranging from yellow to dull 

 red. Sterile soil is often covered by extensive growths of 

 this charming shrubby tree which spreads by underground 

 root-stocks. It is the latest of all the sumachs to bloom. 



In the South the leaves are sometimes gathered in 

 summer to be di'ied and pulverized for use in tanning 

 leather. A yellow dyestufl is also extracted from them. 

 It is a favorite sumach for ornamental planting in this 

 country and in Europe. 



