Rhus trilobata
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Fruits of Rhus trilobata |
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Rhus trilobata ( English skunk bush sumac, sourberry, skunk bush, three-leaf sumac ) is a plant from the family of Sumac ( Anacardiaceae ). The shrub is native to western North America.
description
Rhus trilobata is very similar to the other species of the genus Rhus , whose leaves are divided into three parts. (The specific epithet trilobata stands for “three lobes”.) These species include the Rhus aromatica, native to eastern North America, and Rhus diversiloba, native to western North America . As with other Rhus species, the shape of the three leaflets and the habitat lead to a resemblance to small-leaved oak .
The leaves of Rhus trilobata give off a very strong odor when rubbed. The aroma is bitter or that of drugs and disgusting enough to give the plant the common name “skunkbush”. The leaves are green when they emerge and turn orange or brown in autumn. Freshly sprouting branches are fluffy and smooth with age. The flowers , which are formed on short shoots, are white or light yellow. The edible fruits - hairy, slightly sticky red berries - have a lemony aroma and are very sour in taste. The acid comes from tannic and gallic acids . The flowers are pollinated by animals, the fruits are spread by the animals that eat them. The plant reproduces vegetatively by up to several meters long shoots and in this way forms thickets.
distribution
Rhus trilobata is native to the western half of Canada and the western United States. The species occurs from the Great Plains to California and south across Arizona to northern Mexico . It has been demonstrated in deserts as well as on peaks up to 7,000 ft (approx. 2,100 m) in height.
ecology
Rhus trilobata grows in many plant communities such as B. the grasslands east of the Rocky Mountains , scrubland in the mountains, pine, juniper and fir forests, wetlands, the oak forests of California and the chaparral . The plants are destroyed above ground by forest fires, but they rarely die in the process and quickly sprout again in burned areas.
use
Historically, Rhus trilobata was used for medicinal and other purposes. The bark was chewed or made into a drink to treat colds, the berries were eaten for indigestion and toothache, and the leaves and roots were eaten boiled for some evils. In addition, the leaves were also smoked. The flexible branches were popular for basket weaving and carpet weaving. The berries, which are edible despite their sour taste, can be baked in bread or stirred under porridge or soups. When dried, they can be made into tea or fruit juice like a lemonade. The fruit can be eaten straight away, although a pinch of salt improves the taste. According to Marvin Johnson Jr., a mono-Indian from the Cold Springs Rancheria (a federally recognized tribe from Tollhouse, California), the fruit can be kept for a full year if enough drying space is available; however, some liquid should be added before consumption.
Occasionally R. trilobata is used in landscaping and for erosion protection. The plant is also used for the recultivation of mining areas.
The Zuñi , the Navajo , the Mono and other tribes in the area of distribution use the branches that have been freed from the bark to weave baskets.
swell
Casebeer, M. (2004). Discover California Shrubs . Sonora, California: Hooker Press. ISBN 0-9665463-1-8
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rhus trilobata . United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
- ^ Joseph E. Laferrière, Charles W. Weber, Edwin A. Kohlhepp: Use and nutritional composition of some traditional Mountain Pima plant foods . In: Journal of Ethnobiology . 11, No. 1, 1991, pp. 93-114.
- ^ Matilda Coxe Stevenson: Ethnobotany of the Zuni Indians (= SI-BAE Annual Report), Volume 30 1915.
Web links
- USDA Plants Profile - Rhus trilobata (English)
- Medicinal plants (English)
- Rhus trilobata. In: Fire Effects Information System (FEIS). US Forest Service (English).