Skunkbush sumac

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; autumn colour and growth density are usually best in full sun.

Water

Low once established; water regularly through the first growing season, allowing the soil to dry between soakings.

Soil

Well-drained sandy, gravelly, rocky or loamy soil; tolerates alkaline soil and lean ground, but not persistent waterlogging.

Height

2-6 ft (0.6-1.8 m), occasionally taller

Spread

4-8 ft (1.2-2.4 m), widening further where suckers are allowed to grow

Flowers

Small yellowish flowers in spring, usually before or as the leaves emerge.

Foliage

Green leaves divided into three lobed or toothed leaflets; aromatic, often unpleasant-smelling when crushed. Autumn colour ranges from yellow to orange and red.

Growth

Moderate; slower on very dry, poor sites.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Cold hardy
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2 ft (0.61 m)

3. After 2 years

   2.3 ft (0.72 m)

4. After 3 years

   2.7 ft (0.82 m)

5. After 5 years

   3 ft (1 m)

About 7 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US and Canada

Growth rate

Slow

• Plant where water drains freely; avoid hollows that stay wet in winter.
• Water deeply during the first growing season, then mainly during prolonged drought.
• Skip routine feeding; rich soil and heavy fertilising are unnecessary.
• Apply a light mulch, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Remove unwanted suckers while small, or leave room for a thicket to develop.

Pruning. In late winter or early spring, remove dead, damaged or crossing stems and cut selected old stems to ground level if the shrub becomes crowded. Avoid regular shearing, which spoils its natural shape and reduces flowering and fruiting.

Late winter

Thin crowded older stems and remove dead wood before new growth starts.

Spring

Plant into well-drained soil and water thoroughly.

Late spring

Check establishment moisture and remove unwanted suckers.

Summer

Water young plants deeply during dry spells; let established plants dry between waterings.

Autumn

Leave fruit for birds and assess whether the shrub needs more room to spread.

Winter

Check that runoff is not collecting around the roots.

• Mass on sunny, dry slopes to cover soil and help limit erosion.
• Use in an informal wildlife hedge with other drought-tolerant shrubs.
• Combine with native grasses and flowering perennials in a dry naturalistic border.
• Place against gravel or pale stone where its autumn foliage provides a strong seasonal contrast.

Garden styles it suits: Desert / xeriscape, Southwestern, Wildlife garden, Low-maintenance, Native hedgerow and Autumn colour.

Plant it with: Little bluestem, Blue grama, Prairie dropseed, Rubber rabbitbrush, Yarrow and Purple prairie clover.

Wildlife: Spring flowers provide food for small pollinating insects. Birds and small mammals eat the reddish fruits, while dense growth provides shelter. Male and female flowers are usually on separate plants, so fruiting generally requires both nearby.

• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage or move the plant to a drier site rather than watering on a fixed schedule.
• Leaf spots or rust: remove heavily affected fallen leaves and improve airflow; established shrubs usually need no chemical treatment.
• Aphids on soft growth: wash them off with water and allow ladybirds and other predators to work.
• Unwanted suckering: cut or dig out young shoots at their point of origin before they form a wider colony.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses. The fruits have a history of food use, but this does not make every part suitable to eat. Sap or crushed foliage may irritate sensitive skin; wear gloves if you react to plants in the cashew family.

• Fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica)

  A closely related eastern North American shrub with similar three-part leaves and red fruit. Its leaflets are often broader and less deeply lobed, but the two can be difficult to separate;

• Western poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)

  Also has three leaflets, often with oak-like lobes, but bears pale whitish fruits rather than the reddish, hairy fruits of skunkbush.

• Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)

  Often climbs using hairy aerial roots and has a noticeably long stalk beneath the middle leaflet. Its fruits are whitish, unlike skunkbush's red fruits; avoid handling uncertain plants.

The name trilobata refers to the three-lobed leaves, while skunkbush describes the strong smell released when the foliage is crushed.

Propagation. Separate rooted suckers during dormancy, or take softwood cuttings in early summer. Seed has a hard coat and dormancy requirements, so germination can be slow and uneven without appropriate pretreatment.

Accepted botanical name

Rhus trilobata

In the US and Canada

Native in Canada and the lower 48 states.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and USDA PLANTS. The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.