Anacardiaceae – Cashew (Sumac) Family
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ANACARDIACEAE – CASHEW (SUMAC) FAMILY Plant: vines (usually woody), shrubs, or small trees Stem: woody, particularly with age, often with milky or resinous juice (resin ducts in bark) Root: Leaves: simple or most often pinnately compound (or 3’s, trifoliate), mostly alternate; stipules none or very small Flowers: regular (actinomorphic), perfect or most often imperfect (dioecious); petals 0 or 3 but usually 5, small; sepals 3 or usually 5 and often fused at base; 5 or 10 stamens in 2 series alternate with petals or reduced or absent; ovary superior, carpels and styles usually 3 Fruit: berry or berry-like (drupe), usually oily Other: mostly tropical; Sumac and Poison Ivy is very common locally, many are toxic; family also includes pistachio, cashew and mango; Dicotyledons Group Genera: 80+ genera; locally Cotinus (smoke tree), Rhus (sumac) and Toxicodendron (poision- sumac, oak, and ivy's) WARNING – family descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive Flower Morphology in the Anacardiaceae (Cashew family) Examples of common genera European Smoketree Cotinus coggygria Scop. (Introduced) [Common] Poison Ivy Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze Smooth Sumac Rhus glabra L. ID OF THE 4 SUMACS [Shining] Winged Sumac - Rhus copallinum Fragrant Sumac - Rhus aromatica Pinnate leaves (13 or fewer leaflets usually), mostly entire or with fine teeth, both petiole Ternate (trifoliate or 3-part) compound leaf, and rachis winged. note that the middle or terminal leaflet narrows to the rachis and is not “stalked” as is poison ivy; leaf shape differences above helps to define 2 varieties. Smooth Sumac - Rhus glabra Staghorn Sumac - Rhus typhina Leaves pinnate (11-21 leaflets), with teeth, mostly sessile; stem with raised dots (resin canals), Leaves pinnate (7-(10-25)) leaflets, toothed; my be glaucous; twigs mostly fruit, twigs and leaf axis with dense, long hairs. glabrous. ID OF THE POISON 3 Poison Sumac Poison Ivy Poison Oak Toxicodendron vernix Toxicodendron radicans Toxicodendron pubescens Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 484 Leaves pinnate, 7-13+ leaflets, Trifoliate (3 leaflets) - the entire, rachis red and not terminal (middle) leaflet has a winged; fruit white, in panicles; Trifoliate (3 leaflets) - the terminal definite stalk, 3-6(7) rounded leaves scarlet red in fall; most (middle) leaflet has a definite lobes; small or low shrubs, common in swamps and bogs stalk, ± coarse teeth (variable); woody toward base, NOT stem woody toward base, often climbing (no aerial roots) climbing with aerial roots or may be prostrate and “shrubby” ANACARDIACEAE – CASHEW (SUMAC) FAMILY European Smoketree; Cotinus coggygria Scop. (Introduced) Smoke Tree; Cotinus obovatus Raf. Fragrant Sumac; Rhus aromatica Aiton [Shining] Winged Sumac; Rhus copallinum L. Smooth Sumac; Rhus glabra L. Staghorn Sumac; Rhus typhina L. [Eastern] Poison Ivy; Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze Poison Sumac; Toxicodendron vernix (L.) Kuntze European Smoketree USDA Cotinus coggygria Scop. (Introduced) Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family) Lenawee County, Michigan Notes: shrub to small tree; flowers dioecious, small, white to yellowish, dropping early leaving long stalks with purple hairs (very showy); leaves simple, alternate, elliptical to oval; twigs reddish when young but brownish later; fruits asymmetrical and flattened; spring (determined to be C. coggygria due to more northern location) [V Max Brown, 2008] Smoke Tree USDA Cotinus obovatus Raf. Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family) Close Memorial Park, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri (planted tree) Notes: shrub to small tree; flowers dioecious, small, greenish yellow in clusters, dropping early leaving long stalks with purple hairs (very showy); leaves simple, alternate, mostly oval; twigs reddish when young but gray later; fruits asymmetrical and flattened; spring [V Max Brown, 2012] Fragrant Sumac USDA Rhus aromatica Aiton Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family) Maumee River Metroparks, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrub; flowers yellowish green in clusters on catkin-like structure; leaves alternate, trifoliate, terminal leaflet mostly sessile, fragrant when crushed, shape and pubescence variable (form varieties); stem with lenticels or pores; twigs thin, often bent; fruit bright red, with long hairs, in clusters; spring [V Max Brown, 2008] [Shining] Winged USDA Sumac Rhus copallinum L. var. latifolia Engl. Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family) Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrub; flowers greenish yellow; pinnate leaves (13 or fewer leaflets usually), mostly entire or with fine teeth, both petiole and rachis winged, upper surface lustrous, 2-3+ cm wide; bark with raised bumps and streaks (resin canals); twigs and buds with velvety hair; fruit red in upright spikes, with dense short hairs; summer [V Max Brown, 2006] Smooth Sumac USDA Rhus glabra L. Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family) Maumee River Metroparks, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrub; flowers yellowish green; leaves pinnate (11- 21 leaflets), with teeth, mostly sessile; stem with raised dots (resin canals), my be glaucous; twigs mostly glabrous; fruit red, in upright panicle or spike, short hairy; widespread shrub; spring [V Max Brown, 2005] Staghorn Sumac USDA Rhus typhina L. Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family) Maumee Bay State Park, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrub; flowers yellowish green; leaves pinnate (7-(10-25)) leaflets, toothed; fruit, twigs and leaf axis with dense, long hairs; trunk lenticels horizontal; leaf scars very deep; spring; the largest of the sumacs [V Max Brown, 2006] [Common] Poison Ivy USDA Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family) Maumee River Metroparks, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrub or vine; flowers small, yellowish white to greenish, form clusters in leaf axils; 3 leaflets (trifoliate), ± coarse teeth; stem woody toward base, climbing or prostrate; fruit white to gray; buds with very fine hairs; poisonous to touch at all times (resinous oil); variable with several varieties [V Max Brown, 2005] Poison Sumac USDA Toxicodendron vernix (L.) Kuntze Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family) Pokagon State Park, Steuben County, Indiana Notes: shrub to small tree; flowers yellowish green; leaves pinnate, 7-13+ leaflets, entire, rachis red and not winged; fruit white, in panicles; leaves scarlet red in fall; buds downy hairy; swamps, bogs, etc.; late spring to early summer (Poisonous) [V Max Brown, 2009].