Forestry Images Site - Fragrant Sumac

[dgallow]

May be late to the dance on this site, but I found the sheer number of pics for a particular species in various stages of growth very usefull for id or discussion.

http://www.forestryimages.org/browse...imgnum=1120582

Brushpile asked recently about aromatic sumac. A 'wild type' is native to understory in our area and figured it would also be common in SWMO uplands. Leaves of the variety we ordered from OK forestry were the dull gray/green color vs the more shiny darker green of our 'wild type'. The shrub itself appears much like buck brush but with more stems immanting from a central area.....adaptable to varied location and drought tolerant. Nonetheless, a key characteristic in identifying this plant in winter is the small 'pine cone like' dormant flower/fruit structures (like in pic above). It is medium quailty browse and a scarcity of flower/fruit may indicate a deficiency of preferred browse in the habitat. If one remains unsure of the id, then strip fresh leaves in summer and 'take a whiff'!

[HabitatMD]

I always see the buds browsed on a regular basis.

[Jethro]

Fragrant Sumac, aka around here as skunkbush, is fairly common, and browsed with regularity. It may not be "top" on the list for browse, but it is used fairly heavily. I think it is definitely a worthwhile species in our drought prone areas. Several studies have shown it to be very heavily utilized at certain times in the TX panhandle, OK, and NM. It will be one of the species I use as I manage my hunting sites.

I know very well the "acorn like" buds you refer to. If I had known about this thread earlier today I would have taken a picture of a few while I was out today trying to define my plan a little better for one of my hunting areas.

Glad to see someone bringing this species up for discussion.