Rhus copallinum
| Rhus copallinum | |
|---|---|
| |
| Photo taken by Michelle Smith | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Tracheophyta- Vascular plants |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Anacardiaceae |
| Genus: | Rhus |
| Species: | R. copallinum |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhus copallinum L. | |
| |
| Natural range of Rhus copallinum from USDA NRCS Plants Database. | |
Common names: Winged sumac, Flameleaf sumac, Shining sumac
Contents
Taxonomic notes
Synonym: Rhus copallina L.; R. leucantha Jacquin; R. obtusifolia (Small) Small; R. copallina var. leucantha (Jacquin) A.P. de Candolle
Varieties: Rhus copallinum Linnaeus var. copallinum, R. copallinum Linnaeus var. latifolia. Engler
Description
"Upright shrubs or small trees, not poisonous. Leaves once-pinnately compound. Inflorescence a terminal panicle. Drupes red, ripening in the autumn. Seeds smooth. Flowers produced after the leaves." [1] "Rhizomatous shrub or small tree to 7 m tall; stems densely short-pubescent. Leaflets 9-23 (mostly 9-11), sessile, oblong to elliptic, 3-8 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, acute to acuminate, entire or less frequently crenate to serrate, base cuneate to rarely rounded, glabrous or densely pubescent beneath; rachis winged. Panicle 0.5-3 dm long and usually as broad. Drupe densely short-pubescent, 3-4 mm broad. Seeds 2.5-3 mm long." [1]
Distribution
Ecology
Habitat
R. copallinum habitats include old fields, oak-hickory woods, oak scrubs, marsh banks, roadsides, and sand ridges. [2]
Phenology
Blooms July to August. [3]
Seed dispersal
Seeds are dispersed by birds. [4] This species disperses through consumption by vertebrates (being assumed). [5]
Seed bank and germination
The rhizomes, flowers, fruits, senescent leaves and leaf litter contain toxins that significantly inhibit both seed germination and seedling growth of climax prairie and weedy species. [6] Seed germination responds positively to heat shock with highest germination rates at 90 C.[7]
Fire ecology
Fire stimulates root and root collar sprouting along with enhancing germination, making this a fire-climax species. Density declines 3 to 4 years following a fire, with fire exclusion reducing density and cover. [4] Seeds respond positively to heat shock, suggesting that its germination is dependent on or facilitated by fire.[8]
Use by animals
The foliage is a food source for the caterpillar Pyrrhia umbra. [9] The berries are eaten by wild turkeys and songbirds. [4] Birds have been observed to choose fruits of R. copallina rather than fruits of R. glabra when they were both available as winter foods. This could be due to the higher caloric value and larger fruits of R. copallinum.[10]
Diseases and parasites
Fusarium wilt infects the roots, causing the leaves to droop and wilt. [11]
Conservation and management
Cultivation and restoration
Photo Gallery
References and notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 678. Print.
- ↑ Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: March 2016. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Tom Barnes, Kathy Craddock Burks, G. Fleming, P. Genelle, Robert K. Godfrey, Gary R. Knight. States and Counties: Florida: Florida: Citrus, Franklin, Gadsden, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, St. Johns, Wakulla.
- ↑ [[1]]Missouri Botanical Gardens. Accessed: March 7, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfs - ↑ Kay Kirkman, Jones Ecological Research Center, unpublished data, 2015.
- ↑ Petranka, J. W. and J. K. McPherson (1979). "The Role of Rhus Copallina in the Dynamics of the Forest-Prairie Ecotone in North-Central Oklahoma." Ecology 60(5): 956-965.
- ↑ Bolin, J. F. 2009. Heat shock germination responses of three eastern North American temperate species. Castanea, v. 74, no. 2, p. 160-167.
- ↑ Bolin, J. F. 2009. Heat shock germination responses of three eastern North American temperate species. Castanea, v. 74, no. 2, p. 160-167.
- ↑ [[2]]Accessed: March 10, 2016
- ↑ Graber, J. W. and P. M. Powers (1981). "Dwarf Sumac as Winter Bird Food." The American Midland Naturalist 105(2): 410-412.
- ↑ [[3]]University of Florida Extension Accessed: March 10, 2016
