The sumac family (Anacardiaceae) is a bit more diverse than the parsley family. Plants in this family can have trifoliate or pinnate leaves, unisexual or bisexual flowers, 5 or 3 sepals (united at base), 5, 3, or 0 petals and 5 or 10 stamens.ⁱ  The family includes beloved foods like cashews and mangos. But it also contains the dreaded Toxicodendrons: poison oak, poison ivy, and poison sumac.

Southern California Plants in this family

Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum): Poison oak loves the shady canyons of San Diego. In Lopez and Marion Bear you can find walls of it stretching up the hillside. In Mission Trails it lurks near the peaceful streams. In other places it reaches at you from the edges of the trails. Poison oak ranges from small branches to giant shrub walls. Look for the 3 leaflets that turn red and the white berries. The leaves look a little like oak leaves (not the CA live oaks around here, but rather the large oak trees). It is very recognizable once you are acquainted with it. And it is easy to become acquainted since it is ALL OVER THE PLACE.

Recently, I’ve started trying to look at poison oak with a slightly different mentality. To be honest, it hasn’t done anything to me personally (I do try to give it its space.) A couple weeks ago I watched an herb walk video on poison ivy by Jim McDonald. (I think of poison oak as the West Coast equivalent of poison ivy.) Besides telling an interesting legend about poison ivy, he mentioned that he believes poison ivy is “awareness medicine” meant to make us pay attention. You can watch the herb walk here and read the legend on Jim McDonald’s web site.

Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia): This is a neat tree which is native to this area and only found in Southern California and Baja. The leaves have little jagged edges but the main way to recognize the plant are its funny squished looking pinkish/red berries covered with a white furry substance. The tree grows in coastal sagescrub, and chaparrel areas. The Kumeyaay (one ofthe local native American tribes in the San Diego region) called it Huusill which means red berry. They made a drink by soaking the berries in water. According to Wikipedia, you can make a tea from the stems for coughs and tea from bark, berries or leaves in cold water can be used for sore throats, cold sores, diarrhea or urinary problems (leaves).ⁱⁱ  However, according to smmtc.org some people are allergic to the bark, leaves and rootsⁱⁱⁱ so one should be careful. I’ve found lemonade berries on coastal bluffs (Torrey Pines), canyons, lagoons and many other places around San Diego.

Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata): This is another So. Cal. native (though its range extends into Arizona, as well). There is a big chance I’ve been calling sugar bushes lemonade berries (to myself) during my walks. They look similar and the berries were used in the same way by the Kumeyaay. They both have leathery leaves, grow in similar areas, have little whitish flowers and have deformed looking berries with a furry coating. The main difference is the lemonade berry has jagged leaves and the sugar bush has leaves with smooth edges and fold in half down the middle. To make things even more confusing, they have been hybridizing for millions of years producing plants with leaves somewhere between smooth and jagged.^iv  Another difference is the sugar bush tends to grow in dryer areas (since it is more drought resistant) while the lemonade berry only grows near the coast.^v

Laurel Sumac (Malosma laurina): This is another common San Diego plant which is only found in Southern California and Baja. It is a small tree or large shrub with lots of tiny yellowish white flowers that turn to tiny red berries. The Kumayaay called it ‘ektii^vi and the Chumash made flour from the dried fruits. The bark was used to treat dysentery. I wonder if the berries taste like middle eastern sumac which is used as a spice on rice and in other foods. I guess I’ll have to try some in the fall.

It is really fascinating to find a plant (or animal) that is only found in a small area. It makes the region seem more unique. I miss the green dampness of the Pacific Northwest, but since I’ve been studying plants, the sagescrub and chaparral areas of San Diego which I formerly considered hot and dried up, seem to slowly be opening up and revealing an interesting character.

References

[i] de la Forêt, Rosalee. “Learning Your Herbs: Cashew Family” (video), Herb Mentor. John Gallagher. April 11, 2011. LearningHerbs.com. Web. 12 Aug. 2012. http://www.herbmentor.com
[ii] Wikipedia contributors. “Rhus integrifolia.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 17 Jul. 2012. Web. 12 Aug. 2012.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus_integrifolia
[iii] Baumann, Liz. “Plant of the Month August 2006: Lemonade Berry” Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council. August 2006. smmtc.org. Web 12 Aug. 2012. http://smmtc.org/plantofthemonth/plant_of_the_month_200608_Lemonade_Berry.htm
[iv] “Rhus integrifolia: Lemonade Berry or Lemonade Sumac.” 2010. Biological Sciences, Santa Barbara City College. Web. 12 Aug. 2012. http://www.biosbcc.net/b100plant/htm/rintegrifolia.htm
[v] ibid
[vi] Torrey Pines Visitor Center garden