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SUMAC

Rhus spp.


Rhus spp. of the family Anacardiaceae. There are at least 2 dozen species in the genus Rhus that have among them many dozens of names that are some variation of sumac (or sumach). The one that I have seen more prevalent in American woodworking is staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina and possibly a couple of others) and I have broken it out to its own page on this site

There are a couple of "African sumac" woods on this page that are not Rhus species and which are clearly diffuse porous. They are here because of their common name being sumac.

OBSERVATION: the various Rhus species shown on this page exhibit significant variation in end grain characteristics, with some being strongly ring porous, others being semi ring porous, even verging on diffuse porous. The NSCU LUNA micro-pic site shows the same degree of variation in end grains for the genus, so I'm not concerned, just wanted to point it out. Also, African sumac (Searsia lancea, which used to be Rhus lancea) is diffuse porous.

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions


both sides of a sample plank of shining sumac / Rhus copallian --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of smooth sumac / Rhus glabra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of smooth sumac / Rhus glabra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of sugar sumac / Rhus ovata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. I see I messed up the focus on the labeled side, but the sample's already back with David, so messed up it will stay.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of sugar sumac / Rhus ovata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of sugar sumac / Rhus ovata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of Mediterranean sumac / Rhus coriaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of Mediterranean sumac / Rhus coriaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of Mediterranean sumac / Rhus coriaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of Mediterranean sumac / Rhus coriaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a sample plank of Mediterranean sumac / Rhus coriaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


first face and the end grain of a sample of sumac / Rhus spp. --- This part of a collection which is discussed here: COLLECTION G


the second face, before and after sanding it down a bit, showing how the patina from aging is only surface deep.


end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above


both sides of a sample plank of African sumac / Searsia lancea --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. I note that while the other sumacs shown on this page (Rhus spp.) are clearly semi ring porous, this species is diffuse porous, as correctly shown below in the end grain update.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above


both sides of a piece of African sumac burl loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. HUGE enlargements are present. The first face has been freshly sanded but the second face still has an age patina.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


both sides of a sample plank of red currant (aka African sumac) / Searsia chirindensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. NOTE:This wood is on this page only because the vendor labeled it as "Rhus" chirindensis. It is given by the book "Southern African Wood" as red currant / Searsia chirindensis and is shown as diffuse porous, which this wood is (unlike the other sumac species, Rhus spp. on this page which are clearly semi ring porous). I note that The Plant List has Searsia chirindensis as an unresolved name and the GRIN database does not list it at all.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above. The color shown in this pic is a bit too red


both sides of a rough plank contributed to the site by Milton Smith who cut it in Wisconsin and whom I thank for the contribution. Milton believes, based on the color, that this is smoothbark sumac.

NOTE: all of these pics of the smoothbark sumac are just a shade too orange and not quite green enough and I can't see any difference between this and some staghorn sumac I've seen (but that doesn't mean it is NOT smoothbark sumac)


both sides, sanded smooth, of the two small planks I recovered from the rough plank directly above


end grain of the 2 planks directly above


end grain closeups of the two planks directly above


END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

NOTE: the pics of the following two planks of African sumac were submitted by Jon Dake, whom I thank most kindly for the contribution. Jon tells me these are freshly cut (unseasoned) from a tree in Arizona but which is not native to Arizona (Hey ... it doesn't LOOK like a cactus, does it)


both sides of a plank of African sumac and a closeup


both sides of another plank of African sumac


NOTE: the following two samples of poison sumac were loaned to me by David Clark. I have done no end grain sanding (or ANY sanding) on them because ... well, here's a quote from the Internet:
In terms of its potential to cause urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, poison sumac is more toxic than its relatives poison ivy and poison oak. According to some botanists, poison sumac is the most toxic plant species in the United States
Additionally, there is some disagreement as to the proper botanical name for this wood. According to some authorities Rhus vernix is a synonym for Toxicodendron vernix, which is the result of a re-classification. This would imply that poison sumac used to fit in with the other sumac species (Rhus spp.), but has now been reclassified to the genus Toxicodendron. The Plant List (which is what I use consistently for this site) disagrees. It lists the names as separate and each as an accepted species name.


both sides of a sample plank of poison sumac / Toxicodendron pubescens --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


both sides of a sample plank of poison sumac / Toxicodendron pubescens --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above


both sides of a sample plank of quartersawn Hawaiian sumac / rhus sandwicensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.


end grain and HIGH GRIT END GRAIN CLOSEUP of the piece directly above

The Wood Book pics


flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
laurel sumac (Rhus laurina) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views


flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
poison sumac (Rhus vernix) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views


flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
dwarf sumac (Rhus copallina) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are present for all 3 views


flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
lemonade tree (Rhus ovata) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views. This species is also known as sugar sumac


flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
lemonade sumac (Rhus integrifolia, also listed as mahogany, sour Oak, sourberry, and sourwood) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are available for each of the 3 views

web pics:


plank listed as African sumac / Rhus lancea (which is a synonym for Searsia lancea)


plank listed as dwarf sumac / Rhus capallinum


plank listed as Hawaiian sumac / rhus sandwicensis


plank listed as flowering sumac / Rhus hypoleuca


plank listed as laurel sumac / Rhus laurina


plank listed as mountain sumac / Rhus trichorcarpa


mountain sumac (Rhus trichocarpa) pic submitted by Bill Mudry --- thanks Bill


plank listed as poison sumac / Rhus javanica (NOTE: poison sumac is normally Rhus toxicodendron and Rhus javanica is normally called Japanese poison sumac)


plank listed as sugar sumac / Rhus ovata


plank listed as Tahitian sumac / Rhus taitensis


plank listed as winged sumac / Rhus copallinum


planks just listed as sumac


freshly milled sumac slab, believed to be Rhus lancea (which is a synonym for Searsia lancea)


During a discussion of sumac on one of the wood forums I'm on, I showed a pic of staghorn sumac under UV (which you can see on the staghorn sumac page) and one of the members decided to try it for himself, with the results shown. We think this is probably staghorn sumac but since that's not positive I've put it here on the misc sumac page.


both sides of two pieces of African sumac burl


sumac log


African sumac knife handle by Frank Ogle.


NOTE: all of the pics below were provided by Milton Schmit, who also provided the sample plank shown up above. This is all from the same tree, which Milton believes to be smoothbark sumac. I cannot vouch for the colors on any of these pics, but the pieces all came from the same tree as the sample plank shown above, so that should give you some idea. It is a very colorful piece, so the vibrant colors below are believable. Some of the color variation is likely due to the fact that Milton used various finishes on the different pieces.


two views of a bowl finished with water based varnish.


bowl and pepper shaker both finished with Danish oil


two bowls made from the root of the tree and finished with Danish oil


various objects made by Milton Schmit --- the enlargements really show the grain patterns well




smoothbark sumac bowls


vase just listed as sumac


bowls listed as African sumac


African sumac bowl that was not listed as curly but clearly is. In fact, the curl is so strong that I would call it fiddleback.


two views of an African sumac vase


burl African sumac hollow form


bowl listed as just "sumac"


this bowl was turned by Barry Richardson whom I thank for this pic and other contributions to the site. This is a terrific example of how ultraviolet changes some wood. The piece in the middle is a freshly cut piece of African sumac and the bowl is the same wood but aged for several years. It does not have any dye or stain that causes the color change, it's just the UV exposure. I note that the raw wood is exactly the same color as that in the pics near the top of this page that were given to me by Jon Dake.


three views of a hollow form listed as African sumac harvested in Arizona