Characteristics

There are about 15 species of nonpoisonous sumac plants that are found in North America. Two have grown in the Four Corners region for centuries. Rhus glabra, or smooth sumac, has almond-shaped leaves and dense clusters of dark red fruits that grow at the end of its' branches. This shrub usually grows up to 7 feet tall, but it can also grow to heights of a small tree. Rhus trilobata is more commonly known as squawbush or threeleaf sumac. (See pinyon-juniper/shrub-tree/squawbush.) Poison sumac, which has white or yellowish berries, can easily be distinguished from the red berries of the nonpoisonous sumac. All sumacs are in the cashew family.

Ethnobotany

Although there are numerous uses documented for the threeleaf sumac or squawbush, little has been recorded about the use of the smooth sumac plant in the Four Corners area. It is known that the berries can be eaten and have been used to make a lemonade-type of drink. It is also known that native people from other areas of North America have found many medicinal uses for this plant.

Notes

The University of Michigan-Dearborn Native American Ethnobotany Database
http://www.umd.umich.edu/cgi-bin/herb

Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Uplands by Francis H. Elmore & Jeanne R. Janish

World Book Encyclopedia

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