Skunkbush or

Lemonade Sumac

(Rhus trilobata)

General Description

Native to the Northern Plains. Spreading shrub, smaller

and finer-textured leaves than Fragrant Sumac. Forms a

dense mass of stems and leaves. Scented leaves and lightyellow flowers.

Leaves and Buds

Bud Arrangement - Alternate.

Bud Color - Yellow, pubescent, covered by leaf scar.

Bud Size - Small.

Leaf Type and Shape - Trifoliate.

Leaf Margins - Acute to acuminate, crenate-serrate.

Leaf Surface - Nearly glabrous.

Leaf Length - 1 to 2½ inches; leaflets 3/4 to 1¼ inches.

Leaf Width - 1 to 2½ inches; leaflets 1/2 to 3/4 inch.

Leaf Color - Soft green as leaflets unfold, then turning

a deep blue-green in summer, and commonly yellow

in autumn.

Flowers and Fruits

Flower Type - Polygamous or dioecious, male catkins

1/2 to 1 inch long, female produces short panicles at

the ends of branches.

Flower Color - Greenish-yellow.

Fruit Type - Hairy drupe, 1/4 inch in diameter, females

only.

Fruit Color - Red.

Form

Growth Habit - Ascending, new branchlets hairy.

Texture - Medium-fine, summer; medium, winter.

Crown Height - 3 to 8 feet.

Crown Width - 4 to 10 feet.

Bark Color - Slightly pubescent, aromatically fragrant

when bruised; leaf scars circular, distinctly raised.

Root System - Fibrous, spreading.

Environmental Requirements

Soils

Water

Moderately drought tolerant. Survives harsh growing

conditions of North Dakota Badlands.

Light

Full sun, to partial (1/2 to 3/4) shade.

Uses

Conservation/Windbreaks

Small to medium shrub for farmstead windbreaks and

riparian plantings.

Wildlife

Important fall and winter food for songbirds and emergency

winter food for game birds. Excellent roosting and

loafing ground cover. Preferred nesting site for birds.

Agroforestry Products

Wood - Slender branches are split for weaving baskets.

Food - Drupes used for fresh drink.

Medicinal - Used as an astringent, aromatic, mouthwash,

and diuretic.

Urban/Recreational

Massing, naturalizing. Fast cover for bank stabilization.

Duller foliage than R. aromatica.

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Pests

No major pest problems.

III-56