Related species of plants in the family Anacardiaceae
This article is about plants of the genus Rhus. For different species commonly known as "poison sumac", seeToxicodendron vernix. For other uses, seeSumac (disambiguation).
"Sumak" redirects here. For the village in Turkey, seeSumak, Pertek.
Sumacs aredioeciousshrubs and smalltrees that can reach a height of one to ten metres (3–33 ft). Theleaves of its type species arepinnately compound,[4] though some species have trifoliate or simple leaves. Theflowers are in densepanicles or spikes 5–30 cm (2–12 in) long, each flower very small, greenish, creamy white or red, with five petals. Thefruits are reddish, thin-flesheddrupes covered in varying levels of hairs at maturity and form dense clusters at branch tips,[4] sometimes called sumac bobs.
The wordsumac traces its etymology from Old Frenchsumac (13th century), from Mediaeval Latinsumach, from Arabicسماقsummāq, fromSyriacܣܘܡܩܐsummāqa meaning "red".[8]
The generic nameRhus derives fromAncient Greek ῥοῦςrhous referring to the type speciesR. coriaria,[9][10] of unknown etymology; the suggestion that it is connected with the verb ῥέωrheō "to flow"[11] is now rejected by scholars.[citation needed] The taxonomy ofRhus has a long history, withde Candolle proposing a subgeneric classification with 5 sections in 1825. At its largestcircumscription,Rhus, with over 250 species, has been the largest genus in the familyAnacardiaceae.
Other authors usedsubgenera and placed some species in separate genera, hence the use ofRhussensu lato andRhussensu stricto (s.s.). One classification uses two subgenera,Rhus (about 10 spp.) andLobadium (about 25 spp.), while at the same timeCotinus,Duckera,Malosma,Metopium,Searsia andToxicodendron segregated to createRhuss.s.. Other genera that have been segregated includeActinocheita andBaronia. As defined,Rhuss.s. appearsmonophyletic bymolecular phylogeny research. However, the subgenera do not appear to be monophyletic. The larger subgenus,Lobadium, has been divided further into sections,Lobadium,Terebinthifolia, andStyphonia (two subsections).[12][13][14]
The dried fruits of some species are ground to produce a tangy, crimson spice popular in many countries.[19][20] Fruits are also used to make a traditional "pink lemonade" beverage by steeping them in water, straining to remove the hairs that may irritate the mouth or throat, sometimes adding sweeteners such as honey or sugar. Sumac's tart flavor comes from high amounts ofmalic acid.[21]
Duringmedieval times, primarily from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, sumac appeared in cookbooks frequently used by the affluent in Western Europe. One dish in particular calledsumāqiyya, a stew made from sumac, was frequently rendered as "somacchia" by Europeans.[24]
In North America, the smooth sumac (R. glabra), three-leaf sumac (R. trilobata), and staghorn sumac (R. typhina) are sometimes used to make a beverage termed "sumac-ade", "Indian lemonade", or "rhus juice".[citation needed] This drink is made by soaking the drupes in cool water, rubbing them to extract the essence, straining the liquid through a cotton cloth, and sweetening it. Native Americans also use the leaves and drupes of these sumacs combined withtobacco in traditional smoking mixtures.[25][26][27]
The leaves and bark of most sumac species contain high levels oftannins and have been used in the manufacturing of leather by many cultures around the world. The Hebrew nameog ha-bursaka'im means "tanner's sumac", as does the Latin name ofR. coriaria. The leaves of certain sumacs yieldtannin (mostlypyrogallol-type), a substance used in vegetabletanning. Notable sources include the leaves ofR. coriaria,[28] Chinese gall onR. chinensis, and wood and roots ofR. pentaphylla.Leather tanned with sumac is flexible, light in weight, and light in color. One type of leather made with sumac tannins ismorocco leather.[29]
The dyeing property of sumac needed to be considered when it was shipped as a fine floury substance in sacks as a light cargo accompanying heavy cargoes such as marble. Sumac was especially dangerous to marble: "When sumac dust settles on white marble, the result is not immediately apparent, but if it once becomes wet, or even damp, it becomes a powerful purple dye, which penetrates the marble to an extraordinary depth."[30]
Ibn Badis describes a formula for making red ink out of leeched sumac mixed with gum.[31]
Sumac was used as a treatment for several different ailments in medieval medicine, primarily in West, Central and South Asian countries (where sumac was more readily available than in Europe). An 11th-century shipwreck off the coast ofRhodes, excavated by archeologists in the 1970s, contained commercial quantities of sumacdrupes. These could have been intended for use as medicine, as a culinary spice, or as a dye.[34] A clinical study showed that dietary sumac decreases theblood pressure in patients withhypertension and can be used asadjunctive treatment.[35]
Some beekeepers use dried sumac bobs as a source of fuel for theirsmokers.[36]
Sumac stems also have a soft pith in the center that is easily removed to make them useful in traditional Native American pipemaking. They were commonly used as pipe stems in the northern United States.[37]
Some species formerly recognized inRhus, such aspoison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans,syn.Rhus toxicodendron),poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum, syn.Rhus diversiloba), andpoison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix, syn.Rhus vernix), produce the allergenurushiol and can cause severe delayed hypersensitivity reactions. Poison sumac may be identified by its white drupes, which are quite different from the red drupes of trueRhus species.[39]
Mowing of sumac is not a good control measure, since the wood is springy, resulting in jagged, sharp-pointed stumps when mown. The plant will quickly recover with new growth after mowing.[40]Goats have long been considered an efficient and quick removal method, as they eat the bark, which helps prevent new shoots. Sumac propagates byrhizome. Small shoots will be found growing near a more mature sumac tree via a shallow running root quite some distance from the primary tree. Thus, root pruning is a means of control without eliminating the plants altogether.[citation needed]
^Miller, Allison J.; Young, David A.; Wen, Jun (2001). "Phylogeny and Biogeography of Rhus (Anacardiaceae) Based on ITS Sequence Data".International Journal of Plant Sciences.162 (6):1401–1407.Bibcode:2001IJPlS.162.1401M.doi:10.1086/322948.JSTOR10.1086/322948.
^"sumac".www.etymonline.com. Retrieved26 June 2020.
^Christine Manfield, Charlie Trotter, Ashley Barber -Spice 2008 - Page 28 "Sumac This reddish ground spice is made from the berries of the sumac bush,"
^Aliza GreenField Guide to Herbs & Spices: How to Identify, Select, and Use ... 2006 - Page 257 "In Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, sumac is cooked with water to a thick sour paste, which is added to meat and vegetable dishes; this method was also common in Roman times. Sumac appears in the middle eastern spice mixture za'atar (page 288) ..."
^Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq, al-Muẓaffar ibn Naṣr (2010).Annals of the Caliphs' Kitchens: Ibn Sayyār al-Warrāq's Tenth-century Baghdadi Cookbook (Rev. ed.). Leiden, Netherlands: Brill.ISBN978-90-04-18811-2.OCLC773412426.
^Lee, Arthur (1888).Marble and marble workers: a handbook for architects, artists, masons and students. London: Crosby Lockwood & Son. p. 19.
^Levey, Martin (1962). "Mediaeval Arabic Bookmaking and Its Relation to Early Chemistry and Pharmacology".Transactions of the American Philosophical Society.52 (4): 24.doi:10.2307/1005932.JSTOR1005932.
^Ortmann, John; Miles, Katherine L.; Stubbendieck, James H.; Schacht, Walter (1997)."Management of Smooth Sumac on Grasslands". Historical Materials from University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. RetrievedJuly 27, 2024.
