Alternate name: Tobacco Sumac

Family: Anacardiaceae, Cashew view all from this family

Description Evergreen Sumac is a shrub or small tree, from 8 to 12 ft. in height. Its shiny, evergreen, pinnate foliage is tinged with pink in early spring and maroon after frost. Whitish-cream flowers appear in 2 in. clusters and are followed by orange-red, fuzzy fruits.

Habitat Rocky hillsides, gullies, and bluffs.

Range Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to n. Mexico.

Discussion Not a true evergreen – leaves are green through the winter, then are dropped, to be replaced within a week with a new crop. Takes well to hedging but can grow tree-like with a long, straight trunk. Native sumacs make attractive specimen, hedge, or background plants and are important wildlife plants. They are fast growing, generally insect and disease-free, and drought-tolerant. Colonies are often single-sexed, formed from a single, suckering parent. Only female plants produce flowers and berries.