Rhus copallinum
species of plant
Rhus copallinum, the winged sumac, shining sumac, dwarf sumac or flameleaf sumac, is a species of flowering plant in the cashew family (Anacardiaceae) that is native to eastern North America. It is a deciduous tree growing to 3.5–5.5 metres (11–18 ft) tall and an equal spread with a rounded crown. A 5-year-old sapling will stand about 2.5 metres (8.2 ft). The name Rhus copallina is also used, but this is not consistent with the rules of the International Association for Plant Taxonomy.
Description
Shining sumac is often cultivated, where it is well-suited to natural and informal landscapes because it has underground runners which spread to provide dense, shrubby cover for birds and wildlife. This species is valued for ornamental planting because of its lustrous dark green foliage which turns a brilliant orange-red in fall. The fall color display is frequently enjoyed along interstate highways, as the plant readily colonizes these and other disturbed sites. The tiny, greenish-yellow flowers, borne in compact, terminal panicles, are followed by showy red clusters of berries which persist into the winter and attract wildlife.
The flowers are yellow, flowering in the summer. The fruit attracts birds with no significant litter problem, is persistent on the tree, and is showy.
“Rhus copallinum” enters the record as species of plant. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Rhus, copallinum and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“Rhus copallinum” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Rhus, copallinum and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7245720. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rhus copallinum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.