RANCHING


What Plant Is Important in October? Flameleaf Sumac (Rhus copallinum)


F


LAMELEAF SUMAC IS A LARGE, SLENDER- branched deciduous shrub or


small tree found on the rocky hills, woodlands and bottomlands of East- ern, Central and South Texas. The plant grows in small mottes


or clusters and can spread by rhi- zomes, which send out roots and shoots to form a colony. • Can reach a height of 25 to 30 feet tall


• Has long, narrow compound leaves that alternate along the stem


• Leaves turn bright red, orange and yellow in the fall, thus the name “fl ameleaf”


• Small creamy-white fl owers form on the end of the branches in the summer. These fl owers turn into numerous red fruit berry clusters that are very showy in the fall.


• Seeds were used by Native Amer- icans to improve the quality of drinking water. The bark is also sometimes used in the tanning industry. Flameleaf sumac is fair browse for white-tailed


deer and goats. Many bird species and small mammals readily eat the berries.


The shrub’s seeds are very sensitive to fi re and will


germinate if burned, which can cause thousands of new plants to sprout and grow. Flameleaf sumac can become a pest in pastures, but it can easily be controlled by mechanical and chemical methods.


Editor’s note: Kent Ferguson, retired rangeland management specialist from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is providing us with plant identifi cation photo stories to help ranchers identify those forbs, forages and species growing in the pastures. Additional photos provided by USDA NRCS.


96 The Cattleman October 2016 thecattlemanmagazine.com


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