THE RHUS, OR SUMACH. 
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and the roots prescribed as a febrifugal medi- 
cine. There are three varieties : — arborescens, 
assuming the tree form, and growing from ten 
to twenty-five feet ; frutescens, of more shrub- 
by habit, generally between two feet and ten 
in height ; and viridijiora, which has green 
flowers. 
Rhus venenata (poisonous, or swamp Su- 
mach) is a deciduous shrub, or low tree, with 
pinnate, glabrous leaves, of five or six pairs 
of oval-lanceolate, entire leaflets. It is found 
in swamps in various parts of North America ; 
there it attains twenty feet in height, but in 
cultivation it has not reached that size. It is 
very poisonous, both when touched and 
smelled to. The milky juice stains linen. 
The leaves are very ornamental in the autumn, 
as they die off, of an intense red or purple 
colour. 
Rhus vernicif era (varnish yielding Sumach) 
is a small deciduous tree, with much the habit 
of the stag's-horn sumach, but having large 
leaves, the five or six pairs of leaflets forming 
which, are ovate and entire. It is a native of 
Japan and Nepal, and is of robust growth. 
Thunberg affirms that the best Japan varnish 
is procured from this species, which grows in 
abundance in many parts of that country, and 
is also cultivated for profit. The varnish, 
which oozes out of the tree on its being 
wounded, is procured from stems that are three 
years old, and is received into some proper 
vessel ; when first collected it is whitish, and 
of the consistence of cream, but on exposure 
to the air it thickens and becomes black. 
This varnish is very transparent, and hardens 
very much, but will not endure any blows, as 
it cracks almost like glass, though it will 
bear boiling water without injury. With this 
substance the natives of Japan varnish their 
door posts and window frames, their drawers, 
chests, boxes, scimitars, bows, teacups, soup 
dishes, portable stools, and, in fact, most of 
their articles of domestic furniture which are 
made of wood. 
None of the species of Rhus are adapted to 
produce any striking effect in masses ; indeed, 
the only two species which are worthy of 
being at all generally introduced are the 
R. Cotinus, and the R. typhina : the others 
are interesting merely where a collection of 
different kinds of trees is attempted, or where 
they may happen to be required for any special 
purpose. R. Cotinus, or the Venetian Su- 
mach, is a very ornamental shrub, both in 
its habit of growth, and when adorned with 
its hair-like masses of flower stalks ; and it 
may be introduced with advantage and effect 
in shrubberies near the front, where it may be 
within the range of the eye. When planted 
out singly on the lawn, it is also a very beauti- 
ful object, forming a dense mass, and extend- 
ing, as it increases in age, to a goodly size and 
48 
proportion. R. typliina (the stag's-horn 
Sumach) on the other hand is interesting from 
its singularity, both in the summer, when its 
large pinnated leaves are in all their freshness 
and vigour ; in autumn, when they are chang- 
ing to a warmer tint ; and in the winter, when 
entirely destitute of these appendages, and 
exhibiting only its few large crooked stag's- 
horn-like branches. It may be planted either 
singly on the lawn, where it will be found to 
be a very interesting looking object, or it may 
be sparingly introduced in low shrubberies, 
where its stem would be hidden by the sur- 
rounding foliage, and its branches alone would 
appear above the tops of the shrubs. All or 
any of the other species, being suitable only to 
form part of a collection illustrating the nature 
and habits of trees and shrubs generally, may 
be planted out singly in the space set apart 
for that purpose. In any such collections 
formed for that particular object, the plants 
ought by no means to be dotted evenly over 
the surface of the ground devoted to them ; 
but each particular family of larger or smaller 
extent, should be grouped together (not 
crowded) so as to afford opportunities both 
for studying and observing their particular 
forms, and also for the sake of affording faci- 
lity for botanical investigation, if that should 
happen to be the gist of the proprietor. If 
this rule is observed, and a considerable space 
can be afforded between the particular groups, 
a considerable amount of pictorial effect may 
be produced, where otherwise the idea of an 
apple orchard would only be suggested. It is 
by no means essential, however, that each 
particular family of plants should be alto- 
gether isolated ; while the members of one 
family or genus of plants are kept in conti- 
guity with each other, several of these groups 
forming a " natural order," or even several 
smaller orders, having special affinity, may 
with strict propriety be congregated together 
into a larger group ; and even the groups them- 
selves, which form a particular main subdi- 
vision of the whole vegetable kingdom, may 
be so far connected as to show at once the 
degree of relationship which exists generally 
between them. 
All the species of Rhus will grow in or- 
dinary garden soil, though for the most part 
they prefer a dry loamy soil, or at least one 
in which there is no superabundance of mois- 
ture. Rhus venenata is an exception to this 
rule ; it naturally inhabits swampy ground, 
and probably requires a similar situation to 
attain its full perfection ; it does not usually 
grow in English gardens to the perfection in 
which it is naturally found, which is pro- 
bably owing to this circumstance. The shrub- 
by kinds may be increased by layering, some 
of them from suckers, and all the others from 
seeds. 
