Shining Sumac

Rhus copallinum

Overview

Shining Sumac is a Florida native fruit tree with nutritious sweet and sour berries and medicinal leaves and bark. It produces showy white flowers in the summer followed by glaucous purple-red berries and stunning fall color. The berries are retained throughout the winter, offering a vital food source to migratory birds at a time when other food is scarce. It is extremely drought tolerant, often growing in xeric habitats like Florida scrub and sandhill. Extremely tolerant of full sun and high temperatures, can thrive with no care once established.

Germination Instructions

Soak seeds in hot water, up to 195° F, for 12-24 hours and sow 1-2 inches deep. Exposure to high temperatures simulates the conditions of a wildfire, improving germination.

Ethnobotany

Fruit are high in Vitamin A and are often used to flavor drinks or dried and used as a spice. A decoction of the roots has been used as an antidiarrheal by the Cherokee. Preparations of the bark and roots have been used topically by various Native peoples to treat blisters and other skin conditions. The leaves and roots have been used for ceremonial purposes by the Lenape, and the bark and berries by the Ojibwa. See http://naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=rhus+copallinum for citations.

Disclaimer
We are not medical experts and we do not make medical claims. The inclusion of ethnobotanical citations or data is for educational purposes only and should not be understood as an endorsement or guarantee of safety or efficacy. Always consult with a physician before consuming any new plant.