(Shiny Sumac or Winged Sumac)
[Photo taken by Ruth Wardle, 9 August, 1997 on Sams Farm]
Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), "a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist"Shetler & Skog, 1978 described the copallina species of Rhus. Linnaeus is the "founder of modern plant systematics and nomenclature."(Shetler & Skog, 1978) The names of the species he identified are followed with his initial, L., and specimens of many species he described, most likely this species among them, are located in the Linnaean herbarium at the Linnean Society of London (LINN).
Winged Sumac can grow in woods, but more especially in open places like "fields, roadsides, and fence rows" (Duncan & Duncan, 1988). It will grow in elevations up to 1400 m. (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) Winged Sumac is a deciduous tree.
[Photo taken by Ruth Wardle, 9 August, 1997 on Sams Farm]
Rhus copallina |
||
Area | Status | References |
North America: | Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Eastern North America:
United States east of Mississippi; Ontario and eastern Canada |
Yes | Duncan & Duncan, 1988; Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Southeastern States:
AL AR DE DC FL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV |
Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Southern Appalachian States:
AL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV |
Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Coastal Plain | Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Piedmont | Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Blue Ridge Mountains | Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Ridge and Valley | Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Cumberland Plateau | Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Central Arch | Yes | Shetler & Skog, 1978 |
Georgia | Yes | Duncan & Duncan, 1988 |
Clarke County | Common | Ruth Wardle, Pers. Ob. |
Sams Farm | Common | Ruth Wardle, Pers. Ob. |
Old Field (Sams Farm) | Common | Ruth Wardle, Pers. Ob. |
Wetland (Sams Farm) | ? | Ruth Wardle, Pers. Ob. |
Woods (Sams Farm) | Common on Edge | Ruth Wardle, Pers. Ob. |
1-Hectare Plot (Sams Farm) | Absent | Ruth Wardle, Pers. Ob. |
Uses of Rhus copallina:
Enter the farm through the gate on Rte. 78. Drive into the field about 10 m. Get out of the car and walk away from the road farther into the field. The edge of the woods is on the right. After walking about 20 m in this direction, look to the right at the edge of the woods. A full grown Winged Sumac tree is located there. It is about 4 m tall and when the leaves are examined, the winged rachis can be clearly seen as in the photograph taken of this individual above. A large grove of 50-100 trees is located at the far edge of the field on the outskirts of the wetland area. This can be reached by walking past the tree mentioned above in the same direction, away from t he road, along the edge of the woods to the right, until the field ends and the wetlands area begins. If the first individual was identified, then this grove will be easy to spot from a distance.