Photo: Bruce Marlin — CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Survives zone 3 through 9
Sumac — a souring SPICE (lemony), not a dessert fruit.
- Hardiness
- Zone 3 to 9
- Habit
- Shrub
- Edible part
- Fruit
- Ripens
- Late summer–autumn
- Mature size
- Suckering shrub/small tree; poor in containers
- Light
- Full sun to partial (most shade-tolerant sumac)
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Environment
- Temperate
- Status
- Both wild and cultivated
- Years to fruit
- 3–5 yrs
- Pollination
- Dioecious/polygamous — usually needs male + female
Growing guide
Fertilizing. Minimal feeding needed — thrives in poor, lean soils and rarely benefits from fertilizer; a balanced slow-release feed in spring is only worthwhile if a plant looks weak or lacks vigor.
How it spreads. Colonizes by root suckering and by stems rooting where they touch soil, gradually forming thickets; slower to sucker than the larger sumacs, but remove unwanted suckers to keep it from spreading beyond its space.
Growing tips. Essentially pest- and disease-free with good drought and salt tolerance once established; propagates easily from suckers or rooted stems; its colonizing habit makes it useful for stabilizing banks and slopes.