364 THE CULTIVATOR. Dec. 
SUMAC. 
A correspondent at Beaufort, S. C., wishes informa¬ 
tion in reference to sumac—what species are valuable, 
and for what purposes, and the manner of preparing the 
article for market. 
The plant alluded to belongs to the genus Rhus, seve¬ 
ral species of which are used in the arts and for medi¬ 
cine. In Browne’s late work, “ The Trees of 
America,” it is said—“ The species most worthy of 
note, and which have been cultivated for ornament, or 
have been applied to useful purposes in the arts, are 
Rhus typhina, venenata, aromatica, and copellina, for 
ornament; and the Rhus radicans, for medicine, in 
North America; the Rhus cotinus and coriaria, for tan¬ 
ning and dyeing, of the shores of the Mediterranean; 
and the Rhus vernicifera, or varnish-producing sumac, 
of Japan and Nepal.” 
We believe the Venetian sumac, R. cotinus, is con¬ 
sidered the most valuable for tanning and dying. This 
species, according to authors, is found in western Asia, 
southern Europe, and in Some parts of North America. 
Mr. Browne says,—“ in a wild state, it is seldom 
found higher than five or six feet, but when cultivated, 
often attains more than double that height.” * * * “It is 
easily distinguished from all other species of rhus by 
its simple obovate, smooth, stiff, lucid, green leaves, 
rounded at their points, and supported by long foot¬ 
stalks, which do not fall till they are killed by frost, so 
that the plant is almost sub-evergreen.” He states that it 
was introduced into this country by the late Wm. Prince, 
of Flushing, N. Y., about the year 1790, and has been 
cultivated in various parts. The soil and culture best 
suited to the shrub, are thus described in Mr. Browne’s 
work. “ It prospers best in a dry loam, though it will 
grow well in any common garden soil. It may be pro¬ 
pagated by seeds, or by pegging down the branches flat 
to the ground, in the spring, and strewing earth over 
them. Young shoots will rise and take root at the 
base, which may be severed from the parent stock in 
autumn, and planted in pots, or in the site where they 
are to remain. As an ornamental shrub, this species 
deserves a place in every garden and collection where 
there is room for it to extend itself. And there is but 
little doubt but it might be profitably cultivated in 
many parts of the United States, for the purposes of 
tanning and dyeing.” 
The Rhus typhina, or what is called Virginian sumac, 
is a species of which, it is said, there are many varie¬ 
ties in North America. It is described in “The Trees 
of America” as attaining “a height of ten to twenty- 
five feet, although under some circumstances it dwindles 
down to a mere shrub from ten to two feet in height.” 
Like others of the genus, this species is said to be easi¬ 
ly propagated by seeds or by cuttings of the roots. A 
good soil for the culture of Indian corn, is said to be 
the best for this shrub. “ The wood and leaves,” says 
Browne, “are used in tanning the finer kinds of 
leather, and the roots are prescribed as a febrifugal 
medicine. The branches, boiled with the berries, af¬ 
ford a black, ink-like tincture; and the berries may be 
employed alone for dyeing red.” 
The Rhus venenata, or Poisonous sumac, is indige¬ 
nous to North America, and is found in swampy places 
in all parts of the United States. It is a very poisonous 
shrub to most persons, though some, from a peculiar 
constitution, are not affected by it. Browne says— 
“ Every part of this shrub, even when reduced to char¬ 
coal, is in a high degree poisonous to most persons, 
either by touching or smelling any part of it.” The 
poison is stated to be sometimes fatal to bees, and an in¬ 
stance is related of a swarm having alighted on a branch, 
which after being hived, died in the course of a few 
hours, and were swollen to double their natural size. 
In the easterly part of Massachusetts, this plant is popu¬ 
larly known under the name of “ dog wood,” or “ poi¬ 
son dog wood.” The writer recollects an instance of 
a family in that section having been poisoned to a dan¬ 
gerous degree by smoke from a fire made of this shrub. 
On account of its poisonous nature it is seldom used in 
t£e arts. 
Our acquaintance with the mode of preparing sumac 
for market is not sufficient to enable us to give particu¬ 
lar directions. We believe the plant is usually cut 
while in a soft or tender state, with a scythe—is care¬ 
fully dried till the leaves can be pounded off, when it is 
threshed with flails, the stem, and coarse parts raked 
out, and the leaves packed in barrels and sold. When 
it is wished to convert natural plantations into a state 
in which they can be used, we should suppose it would 
be best to cut off the old growth, close and clean, in 
order to obtain a thick stand of young, leafy plants, 
which can be readily cut and managed. 
Since the above was written, we have received the 
following remarks in relation to the subject, from Prof. 
James Hall, of this city, for which he has our thank's* 
There are several species of this shrub or tree, be¬ 
longing to the genus Rhus, which are useful in the 
arts. In the United States we have at least eight na¬ 
tive species; and one exotic species, cultivated in our 
gardens, and known as Aaron’s beard, or false fringe 
tree. Among the native species we have two in the 
northern states which are exceedingly poisonous—the 
Rhus vernix, known in New England as poison dog¬ 
wood, and in New-York as poison elder, and poison su¬ 
mac, and the Rhus toxicodendron, which, in one of its 
varieties, is a climbing vine, and is known as the poison 
ivy. 
This genus belongs to the order Anacardiacea, one 
character of which is that it consists of trees or shrubs, 
with a resinous, gummy, caustic, or milky juice, and 
this character is true of all the sumacs. In the poi¬ 
sonous species, this resinous or gummy juice contains 
the noxious matter. 
There are also several other species of Rhus, which are 
of much use in the arts, as in tanning and coloring. 
Those in the United States which are valuable in these 
arts, are the Rhus typhina and Rhus glabra. The 
leaves of both these species abound in tannic acid, and 
are much used in tanning morocco, and other light 
colored leathers. 
The leaves and petioles, when dried and powdered, 
or macerated, when fresh, are much used in coloring, 
and in many instances have superceded the use of nut- 
galls, being preferable in many colors. The fruit, 
which is of a red or purple color, contains much malic 
acid, or an acid bimalate of lime, and is often used in 
coloring, both for its tannin and for its acid properties, 
in changing vegetable blues to reds. 
The species used in Europe, both for tanning and 
coloring, are the Rhus coriaria, and the Rhus cotinus, 
the latter being the species cultivated in our gardens, 
before alluded to. 
In a late English treatise upon dyeing, republished 
by Harper &. Brothers, New-York, sumac is placed 
among the coloring substances, and its uses pointed out. 
Of the two kinds mentioned, the author remarks, that 
“ the Rhus coriaria is the best. With peroxide of iron, 
as a mordant, it imparts a variety of shades, from slate 
color to black. In calico printing, sumac affords, with 
a mordant of tin, a yellow color; and with sulphate of 
zinc, a brownish yellow. A decoction of sumac reddens 
litmus paper strongly; gives white flocks with the 
proto-muriate of tin; pale yellow flocks with alum; 
blue flocks with red sulphate of iron, with an abundant 
precipitate.” Further information regarding the use of 
sumac may be found in the treatise above cited, on 
pages 291 and 292. 
The American species previously named, possess the 
qualities required both for tanning and for dying. The 
Rhus typhina grows in rocky and gravelly soils, fre¬ 
quently along the margins of ledges of granite, and 
about old fences. The Rhus glabra often takes posses¬ 
sion of barren, waste fields, when the soil is stony, and 
abounds in barren stoney soils. I am not aware of any 
attempts made to cultivate it, but it could easily be pro¬ 
duced in large quantities in waste fields and barren pla¬ 
ces, which now produce no valuable shrub or tree. 
The stoney and gravelly soils of New England, and the 
