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Skunkbrush
Common
Name(s):
Skunkbrush
Skunkbrush Sumac
Skunkbush
Squawbush
Scientific
Name:
Rhus
trilobata Nutt.
Scientific
Name Synonyms:
Rhus aromatica Aiton
Toxicodendron trilobatum (Nutt.) Kuntze
Symbol:
RHTR
Description:
Life Span: Perennial
Origin:
Native
Season: Cool
Growth Characteristics:
Skunkbrush
grows 2 to 8 feet (0.5-2.5 m) in height. Height as well as growth
form varies by geographic location: skunkbrush is more branched
and compact in the Southwest and taller in the North. The growth
form of this thicket-forming shrub may be rounded, mound-like, or
upright. Reproduction of skunkbrush is by seed and rhizomes. In
many areas, annual growth of skunkbrush begins in April or May.
Flowers of skunkbrush develop early in the spring prior to leaf
emergence. Fruit generally ripens from August to October. Drupes
mature from June to October. Fruit persists throughout the winter.
Flowers/Inflorescence:
Numerous
small, yellowish-green to cream-colored flowers are borne on crowded
catkin-like clusters near the tips of branches.
Fruits/Seeds:
The fruit is a small, red or reddish-orange drupe containing a single
nutlet. The fruit is highly acidic.
Leaves: The
compound, three-lobed, (sometimes simple), alternate leaves are
green above but pale below and are skunky to somewhat sweet-smelling
when crushed. Leaflets grow in groups of three and are waxy, and
soft-textured. The leaves turn a bright red or orange in the fall.
Stems: Twigs
are alternate, brown, pliable, hairy when young, and fragrant when
bruised. Older stems have white sapwood, pinkish-red heartwood,
and a band of narrow gray-green between the two. Buds are small,
yellow, and covered by the persistent leaf stalk bases.
Ecological
Adaptations:
Skunkbrush
occurs in a variety of habitats including dry rocky slopes, along
streams and canyon bottoms, waste places, pastures, roadsides, and
on sand dunes, at elevations of 4,500 to 8,000 feet. It is drought
resistant; it is intolerant of flooding and high water tables. It
typically grows where maximum annual precipitation ranges from 10
to 20 inches. Skunkbrush grows well in sun or partial shade.
Skunkbrush has spreading woody rhizomes and sprouts readily from
both the root and crown after disturbance.
Soils: Tolerant
of a wide range of soils from nearly bare rock to sand and heavy
clay. It grows well on medium to coarsely textured, moist to dry,
acidic to slightly alkaline soils. Growth is optimal in fairly deep
soil. Skunkbrush grows well on depleted soils.
Associated Species:
Nevada
bluegrass, cheatgrass, big
sagebrush, bluebunch
wheatgrass, Idaho fescue,
true mountain mahogany.
Uses and
Management:
Skunkbrush's
forage value is poor for all classes of livestock. Skunkbrush provides
some browse for deer, elk, and pronghorn when other more preferred
forage is unavailable. In most locations, big game use tends to
be heaviest during the winter when food supplies are most limited.
Because the fruit of skunkbrush persists through the fall and winter,
this species can provide a ready food source for birds and small
mammals when other foods are scarce or unavailable.
Native Americans valued skunkbrush and made use of the fruit, twigs,
leaves, and shoots. The fruits were used in foods and medicines,
and in the preparation of lemonade-like beverages. Pliable young
stems were woven into durable baskets, and the Comanches smoked
the leaves. Skunkbrush was also used in making dyes for clothing.
Early pioneers ate the salted drupes like popcorn and exudates from
the stem as a chewing gum.
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