Scientific Family
Anacardiaceae
Synonyms
Rhus ovata var. traskiae
Other common names
chaparral sumac
sugar bush
mountain laurel
Plant type
Shrubs
Riparian
No
Plant Description
Origin
Native
Large thicket forming shrub with spreading, sprawling crown; large, bright green, leathery leaves and dense, white flower clusters.
Tree has a rounded appearance; leaves alternate, bright green, leathery and fold along the mid rib; flowers are at the end of the branches; berries are reddish and sticky.
Height
15 feet
Width
10 feet
Habitat
Habitat description
Found on open rocky hillsides and mesas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
5000
Leaves
Leaf color
Bright green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Leaf Drop
Evergreen
Bright green, shiny, thick, leather-like; stalk reddish-pink, oval, short-pointed at tip, rounded at base, curved upward at mid-vein, up to 3-1/4 inches long.
Flowers
Flower color
White to pinkish
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
May
Pink buds open into white or pinkish flowers, 5 rounded petals to 1/4 inch wide in crowded terminal cluster at the end of the twig, to 2 inches long.
Flower clusters
Elongated
Fruit
Fruit color
Red
Fruit type
Berry-like
Elliptical, 1/8 inch across, fuzzy and red in clusters at the ends of twigs, ripen in late summer and persist into winter.