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Rhus trilobata

Common name:	Skunk Bush	Family:	Anacardiaceae
Author:	Nutt. ex Torr.& A.Gray.	Botanical references:	11, 200
Synonyms:	Rhus aromatica trilobata ((Torr.& A.Gray.)A.Gray.)
Known Hazards:	There are some suggestions that the sap of this species can cause a skin rash in susceptible people, but this has not been substantiated. See also notes in 'Cultivation Details'.
Range:	Western N. America.
Habitat:	Foothills, canyons, slopes etc, usually on dry rocky soils[62] and especially on limestone outcrops[149].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	R. aromatica ssp. flabelliformis[B,P] R. aromatica ssp. trilobata[B,P] R. aromatica var. flabelliformis[B,P] R. aromatica var. trilobata[B,P] R. trilobata var. trilobata[B,P] Schmaltzia trilobata[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bo-bo-e [H], Ill-scented Sumac [B], Lemonade Sumac [H], Lemonade Sumach [E], Skunkbush Sumac [FEIS,P,DEN2], Squawberry [E], Su-vi [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	lobata = lobed trilobata = 3 lobed triloba = 3 lobes
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Sapindales. Sumac family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Mexico(Kickapoo) Us Us(Amerindian) Us(Blackfoot)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 1.8m. It is hardy to zone 3 and is frost tender. It is in flower in April. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Drink Fruit.

Fruit - raw or cooked[62, 85, 92, 94, 95, 149]. The fruit can be eaten fresh, dried, mixed with cornmeal or made into a jam[183]. The fruit is small with very little flesh, but it is produced in fairly large panicles and so is easily harvested. When soaked for 10 - 30 minutes in hot or cold water it makes a very refreshing lemonade-like drink (without any fizz of course)[85, 92, 149, 183]. The mixture should not be boiled since this will release tannic acids and make the drink astringent. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic Antipruritic Astringent Contraceptive Deodorant Diuretic Emetic Haemostatic Odontalgic Oxytoxic Stomachic.

Skunk bush was employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes, who valued it especially for its astringent qualities and used it to treat a range of complaints[257]. It is little, if at all, used in modern herbalism. Due to its potentially toxic nature, it should be used with some caution and preferably only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
The fruit is analgesic, astringent and stomachic[257]. It has been eaten as a treatment for stomach problems and grippe[257]. The dried berries have been ground into a powder and dusted onto smallpox pustules[257]. The fruit has been chewed as a treatment for toothache and also used as a mouthwash[257]. A decoction of the fruit has been used as a wash to prevent the hair falling out[257].
The leaves are astringent, diuretic, emetic and haemostatic[257]. An infusion of the leaves has been used in the treatment of head colds[257]. A decoction of the leaves has been drunk to induce impotency as a method of contraception[257]. A poultice of leaves has been used to treat itches[257].
An infusion of the bark has been used as a douche after childbirth[257]. The bark has been chewed, and the juice swallowed, as a treatment for colds and sore gums[257].
A decoction of the root bark has been taken to facilitate easy delivery of the placenta[257].
The roots have been used as a deodorant[257]. The buds have been used on the body as a medicinal deodorant and perfume[257].

Other Uses

Basketry Deodorant Dye Mordant Oil Repellent Tannin.

The leaves are rich in tannin. They can be collected as they fall in the autumn and used as a black to brown dye or as a mordant[169, 257]. The fruits can also be used as a mordant[257].
A yellow dye is obtained from the twigs[149]. black dye can be obtained when the twigs are mixed with pine gum[257].
A red-brown dye can be made from the bark and leaves[257].
A pink-tan dye can be made from the fruit[257].
The ashes of the plant can be used as a mordant to fix dyes[257].
An oil is extracted from the seeds[4]. It attains a tallow-like consistency on standing and is used to make candles. These burn brilliantly, though they emit a pungent smoke[4].
The roots have been used as a perfume and deodorant[257]. The buds have been used on the body as a medicinal deodorant and perfume[257].
The leaves have been rubbed on the body as an insect and snake repellent[257]. Some caution should be employed here, see the notes above on toxicity[K].
The branches are tough and slender, they are stripped of their bark and split into several strands then used in basket making[46, 92, 94, 95, 149, 257].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in a well-drained fertile soil in full sun[11, 200], but produces its best fruit when grown close to moist ground[85]. Judging by the plants native habitat it should succeed in dry soils[K].
The young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts.
This species is closely allied to R. aromatica[11].
Plants have brittle branches and these can be broken off in strong winds[200]. Plants are also susceptible to coral spot fungus[11]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
Many of the species in this genus are highly toxic and can also cause severe irritation to the skin of some people, whilst other species such as this one are not poisonous. It is relatively simple to distinguish which is which, the poisonous species have axillary panicles and smooth fruits whilst non-poisonous species have compound terminal panicles and fruits covered with acid crimson hairs[1, 4]. The toxic species are sometimes separated into their own genus, Toxicodendron, by some botanists[200].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in hot water (starting at a temperature of 80 - 90c and allowing it to cool) prior to sowing in order to leach out any germination inhibitors[200]. This soak water can be drunk and has a delicious lemon-flavour. The stored seed also needs hot water treatment and can be sown in early spring in a cold frame[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[200].
Root cuttings 4cm long taken in December and potted up vertically in a greenhouse. Good percentage[78, 200].
Suckers in late autumn to winter[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[S] SW USA Dist. Maps from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[S] Image from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Rhus trilobata var. trilobata (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for rhus trilobata (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

References for the family Anacardiaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[92] Balls. E. K. Early Uses of Californian Plants. University of California Press 1975 ISBN 0-520-00072-2
A nice readable book.

[94] Sweet. M. Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. Naturegraph Co. 1962 ISBN 0-911010-54-8
Useful wild plants in Western N. America. A pocket guide.

[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.

[149] Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987 ISBN 0-292-78958-3
Fairly readable, it gives details of habitats and some of the uses of trees growing in Texas.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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