SUMAC or SUMACH
There are a number of sumacs with culinary, medicinal, or other uses. All the sumacs with such uses are characterized by red seed or berry heads which are attractive into winter (and are eaten by birds), brilliant red to rust leaves in the fall, yellow or white flowers, and a ten-dency to form clumps or colonies. They need well-drained soil and most of the varieties native to our part of the country prefer poor, dry soils. Their heights vary, depending on variety. Some grow to twenty feet or more; others are in the six- to ten-foot range. One is three to four feet. Most like full sun. For ornamental gardens, shiny sumac (Rhus copallina) is most recommended because its suckering tendencies are more restrained than some varieties and it is long lived. It is adaptable to a variety of soils, is easily transplanted, and even grows in con-tainers. In cultivated settings, it usually reaches eight feet in height, though it grows to thirty feet in the wild. Staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina), on the other hand, spreads profusely via suckers to make massive colonies and individual plants are short lived.
Sumacs can be propagated from root cuttings or seed can be sown in the fall. If it is planted in the spring, the seed must be stored at freezing temperatures.

SICILIAN SUMAC (Rhus coriaria)
Sicilian sumac is the primary culinary sumac. It is native to southern Italy, Sicily and throughout the Middle East and is cultivated there as well as growing wild. It grows to about ten feet. Though the spice does not have much fragrance, it has a tart, tangy flavor due to the malic acid in the berries. The berries, which are the plant used in cooking, are reputed to be the best flavored of the sumacs. Those grown at the highest altitude are supposed to be best. They are picked just before they ripen. They're dried and keep indefinitely. Sumac is used in the cooking of Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Iran. Ground sumac is rubbed into meats for grilling and is good with potatoes, beetroot, and in mixed bean salads. It can be purchased at Middle Eastern food shops. Whole, cracked or ground sumac berries are also used to make a fruity, sour culinary juice which can be added to marinades, salad dressings, sauces and yogurt. This is made by soaking the berries for 15 to 20 minutes in warm water, squeezing the berries to get all the flavor, and then straining the liquid. The juice can be added to food at the end of cooking.
Historically, the Romans used Sicilian sumac as a souring agent, the way we would use lemon juice or vinegar. Medicinally it was used for upset stomach, fever, or bowel complaints.

NATIVE AMERICAN SUMACS
The culinary use of native American sumacs is primarily to make a refreshing tart drink, reminiscent of lemonade and often called "Indian lemonade." The berries of either smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) or staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) can be used, the latter being the tarter of the two. Among the various books I consulted, smooth sumac seems to be the preferred choice. Both varieties of sumac are also called "Vinegar Tree." Rhus copallina (shiny sumac, dwarf sumac, winged sumac or flameleaf sumac) berries can also be used to flavor drinks, as well as two southern California varieties, Rhus integrifolia (sourberry or lemonade berry sumac) and Rhus ovata (sugarbush). Rhus trilobata (squawbush) was also mentioned as being good for making a beverage. Sumac fruit juice can also be used as a substitute for lemon juice or vinegar in most recipes, for example in elderberry jelly.

Sumac "lemonade" can be made by soaking a stalk of tightly-packed red sumac berries in a pitcher of cold water overnight. If you use hot water, you'll get more tannin in your drink. Strain through several layers of cheesecloth to remove the berries and their hairs. Sweeten and drink. One source says to drink the sumac lemonade right after making it as the flavor changes rapidly. You can also make a hot drink with the berries and flavor it with maple syrup.
Medicinally, sumac was used for a wide variety of ailments. It was well known to various Native Americans and also to settlers of Appalachia. Again, smooth sumac seems to be the first choice. Roots, berries, bark and leaves were used. The liquid from boiled roots was used for urinary disorders, fevers and colds. Roots and berries were pounded into a mash to treat hemorrhoids, warts, fever blisters and canker sores. The liquid from boiled berries was used to treat irregular menstruation, dysentery, fevers and colds, as well as for a wash to stop hemor-rhaging after childbirth and as an astringent gargle. A tea made from the berries was used to loosen mucus in the throat. Berries were also used as a poultice to stop bleeding. Roots and berries were mixed with tobacco for chest complaints. Root bark and berries were used to treat diarrhea, leucorrhea and febrile diseases. Root and plant bark also was used for internal complaints, dermatitis and diabetes. Crushed leaves were used as a poultice for skin diseases and a leaf decoction was used for venereal disease. Leaves and seeds were used to dry oozing sores, ulcers, and gangrene. Appalachian settlers used sumac to lessen asthma's severity (by smoking rolled leaves, if you can believe that!).
Sumac was used as a dye for browns (leaves), yellows (roots), grays (berries), and blacks (seeds). The red autumn leaves of shiny sumac are used for dye and for tanning, as the plant contains tannin. The split bark was used by some Indians in basket making.

A word of warning: some members of the sumac family are poisonous-poison sumac (Rhus vernix), poison ivy (Rhus radicans) and poison oak (Rhus diversiloba). Poison sumac likes swampy areas whereas the other sumacs like dry areas. Poison sumac and poison ivy have white berries, while the non-poisonous sumacs have red berries. Poison sumac and poison ivy have flowers (and fruits) along the stems below many of the leaves. The non-poisonous sumacs have terminal flowers and fruits. The only native American sumac that I have described that resembles poison sumac is the shiny sumac. But the leaf stalk between pairs of leaflets of the shiny sumac is winged whereas the poison sumac is not. The leaves of fragrant sumac are similar to poison ivy leaves (that is, in threes), but poison ivy has a leaf stalk between the two basal leaflets and the third end leaflet; fragrant sumac doesn't.

Thanks to Carolyn Vance for this report on sumac. Her sources included The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices by Clevely, Richmond, Morris and Mackley; The Wild Berry Book by Katie Letcher Lyle; Guide to Indian Herbs by Raymond Stark; The Rodale Herb Book edited by William H. Hylton (1974); Eating Wild Plants by Kim Williams; Eyewitness Handbook's Herbs by Lesley Bremness; How to Select and Care for Shrubs and Hedges by Ortho Books; The Shrub Identification Book by George W.D. Symonds; and PDR for Herbal Medicines, first edition.

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