Rhus ovata
Common name: 
Sugar Bush
Sugar Sumac
Pronunciation: 
roos o-VA-ta
Family: 
Anacardiaceae
Genus: 
Rhus
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Broadleaf evergreen shrub, usually 4-10 ft (1.2-3 m) tall, may have a similar width, upright or spreading habit.  Leaves alternate, simple, about 3-8 cm long, similar width, ovate, often folded along the midrib, tip acute, margin usually entire, leathery, both surfaces are smooth and glossy.  Flowers small, white or pinkish, in short, dense terminal clusters.  Fruit 6–8 mm diam, glandular-hairy, reddish, sticky, coated with a sugary secretion.
  • Sun to light shade
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 9      Native to California, from the chaparrals of Santa Barbara County into Mexico (Baja California) and into central Arizona.
  • ovata: ovate, egg-shaped with the broad end at the base
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  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • leaf

    leaf

  • developing flower clusters

    developing flower clusters

  • plant habit, flowering

    plant habit, flowering

  • leaves and flower clusters

    leaves and flower clusters

  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • branch, bark

    branch, bark