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Rhus aromatica 'Gro-low'

(Gro-low Fragrant Sumac)

Overview

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This plant has become very popular -- especially in the Midwest -- for its tolerance of diverse and difficult cultural conditions. It forms low mounds of lustrous foliage that usually do not exceed 2' with a spread to 8' wide. It is a female form that forms red fruits.

Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Common Names in English:

Gro-low Fragrant Sumac

Description

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Genus Rhus

Polygamous or dioecious trees or shrubs , usually sapiferous; sap often irritant. Leaves compound . Flowers small, greenish, in axillary or terminal panicles. Calyx persistent , 4-6-lobed; lobes imbricate. Petals 4-6, spreading . Disk present. Stamens as many as or twice the number of petals; anthers bilocular , imperfect in the female flowers. Ovary unilocular ; styles 3, usually free . Drupe small and dry.

Commonly known as sumacs. A genus of 250 species occurring in the warm temperate and subtropical regions of both the hemispheres. Represented in Pakistan by 7 species, 4 of which are native .[1]

Physical Description

ID Features: Trifoliate leaves. Yellow, pubescent buds. Buds are covered by leaf scar.

Habit: A deciduous shrub with an irregular crown, suckers , and dense branches with ascending tips .

Flowers: Dioecious. Yellow flowers. Blooms in late March. 1" long catkins (male). Short, terminal panicles (female). • Flower Conspicuous: Inconspicuous

Seeds: Fruit: Hairy , red drupe. Female plants only. Matures in August. Persists. Borne in terminal panicles.

Foliage: Glossy, fragrant, divided into 3 leaflets • Foliage Shape: Ovate • Normal foliage color: Green • Underside foliage: Green • Juvenile foliage: Green • Mature foliage: Green • New foliage: Green • Spring foliage: Green • Summer foliage: Alternate leaf arrangement . Trifoliate , deciduous leaves. Ovate leaf shape. Coarsely toothed . 3" to 5" long. Pubescent . Underside. Glossy dark green. • Fall foliage: Orange to reddish-purple fall color. Showy.

Size/Age/Growth

Growth Rate: Fast. • Size: Fast grower to 2 to 3 ft . high, spreads 6 to 8 ft.

Landscaping

Landscape Uses: Massing. Woods edge . Naturalistic areas. Bank covers . Groundcover. • Liabilities: Leaf spot. Rusts. Aphids. Mites . Scale. • Care: Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system . As a ground cover, space plants 5` apart, (closer for faster coverage). Control weeds with mulch until the plants cover the area.

Biology

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Growth

Culture: Transplant from containers . Full sun to mostly shade. Prefers acidic, well-drained soil. Soil adaptable. Suckers .

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full to partial sun

Moisture: Water Requirements: Once established needs only occasional water.

Temperature: Heat Zones: High: 9 (>120 to 150 days) Low:3 (>7 to 14 days) (map) • Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)

Taxonomy

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Similar Species

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Members of the genus Rhus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 46 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

R. aromatica (Fragrant Sumac) · R. aromatica var. arenaria (Fragrant Sumac) · R. aromatica var. aromatica (Fragrant Sumac) · R. aromatica var. serotina (Fragrant Sumac) · R. aromatica 'Gro-low' (Gro-Low Fragrant Sumac) · R. aromatica 'Grow-Low' (Fragrant Sumac) · R. aromatica 'Konza' (Konza Fragrant Sumac) · R. ashei (Ash's Sumac) · R. chinensis (Chinese Sumac) · R. copallina (Dwarf Sumac) · R. copallina copallina (Mountain Sumach) · R. copallina leucantha (Southern Sumac) · R. copallinum (Flameleaf Sumac) · R. copallinum var. copallinum (Flameleaf Sumac) · R. copallinum var. latifolia (Winged Sumac) · R. copallinum var. leucantha (Winged Sumac) · R. coriaria (Elm-Leaved Sumac) · R. crenata (Dune Crowberry) · R. glabra (Smooth Sumac) · R. glabra 'Laciniata' (Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac) · R. glauca (Gray-Green Taaibos) · R. hirta (Staghorn Sumac) · R. integrifolia (Lemonade Berry) · R. kearneyi (Desert Sumac) · R. lancea (African Sumac) · R. lanceolata (Prairie Sumac) · R. lentii (Pink Flowering Sumac) · R. michauxii (False Poison Sumac) · R. microphylla (Littleleaf Sumac) · R. ovata (Chapparal Sumac) · R. pendulina (River Karee) · R. pulvinata (Pulvinate Sumac) · R. sandwicensis (Neleau) · R. trichocarpa (Japanese Sumac) · R. trilobata (Aromatic Sumac) · R. trilobata var. anisophylla (Smoothleaf Skunkbush) · R. trilobata var. pilosissima (Fragrant Sumacpubescent Skunkbush Sumac) · R. trilobata var. quinata (Grand Canyon Skunkbush) · R. trilobata var. racemulosa (Summer Skunkbush) · R. trilobata var. simplicifolia (Single-Leaf Skunkbush) · R. trilobata var. trilobata (Ill-Scented Sumac) · R. typhina 'Tiger Eyes' (Staghorn Sumac) · R. virens (Evergreen Sumac) · R. virens choriophylla var. choriophylla (Evergreen Sumac) · R. virens var. choriophylla (Evergreen Sumac) · R. virens var. virens (Evergreen Sumac)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Yashin J. Nasir "Rhus". in Flora of Pakistan Page 4.. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
Last Revised: 7/21/2012