Rhus aromatica – “Skunkbush”

Also Known As: Skunkbush Sumac, Three Leaf Sumac, Fragrant Sumac, Sourberry
Other Botanical Names:Rhustrilobata
Family: Sumac (Anacardiaceae)
Bloom Period: Mar-May
Form: Medium-sized, deciduous shrub
Habitat: Desert mountains
Leaves: Palmately-trifolate (three leaflets originating from end of leaf stem)
Translation: “Rhus” is the ancient Greek name for “Sumac,” which plants in this genus resemble; “aromatica” is Latin for “fragrant,” which the flowers are; “trilobata” is Latin for “three-lobed” and describes the leaves.
Notes: Pictured at fruiting stage. The flowers are five-petaled and yellow with red-tipped bracts behind them. Five yellow-orange anthers are circled around a style with three lobes. At first glance, this plant can be mistaken for Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), which is also in the Sumac Family. But in this case you can forget the old hiker’s rule of “Leaves of three, let it be” because Skunkbush is safe to touch and consume. Key differences: Poison Oak’s twigs are smooth but Skunkbush’s have tiny hairs; Poison Oak’s terminal leaf has a petiole (a stem between the leaf and the branch) but Skunkbush’s is sessile (stemless, attached directly to branch); Poison Oak’s berries are white but Skunkbush’s are red; and finally, Poison Oak is not found in most of Joshua Tree Country.
Native American Uses: A much-used plant by many Native American tribes throughout its extensive range. Focusing on the Southwest, the Cahuilla, Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Luiseño, Mahuna, Navajo and Shoshone consumed the berries in a variety of ways: fresh, steeped to make a beverage, added to bread or porridge and dried for later use. Medicinally, the Mahuna ate the plant as an appetite-stimulant; the Kayenta made a lotion for poison ivy rash and treated bowel problems; the Ramah chewed the leaves for stomach issues, took a decoction of leaves as a contraceptive, applied a poultice of leaves topically for itchiness, and drank a decoction of the root bark after childbirth to encourage delivery of the placenta; the Paiute powdered the fruits and applied them to smallpox sores.
In basketry, the Cahuilla, Hopi, Western Keres, Luiseño, Mahuna, Navajo, and Timbisha all utilized the stems. The leaves yield both blue and black dyes, and the berries or ashes can be used as a mordant for setting dye colors; the Hopi, Hualapai and Navajo used these for dying baskets, wool and leather. The Luiseño used the twigs to make a fan for beating seeds off of plants. The Hualapai used the leaves, worn on the body, as an insect and snake repellent. The Hopi used the roots for deodorant and perfume. Ceremonially, the Hopi, Navajo and Ramah used the twigs for prayer sticks, hoops and containers used in rituals.
Animal Associations: Larval food plant for Neumoegen’s Buckmoth. Forage plant for the Mule Deer.