Rhus ovata
A drought-tolerant evergreen shrub-to-small tree native to California, Arizona, and Baja California, with dark green leathery ovate leaves, pinkish flower clusters, and reddish sticky drupes whose edible fruit is used to make a lemonade-like drink.
Common Names
Sugar Bush, Sugar Sumac, Sugarbush
Summary
Sugar bush is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to chaparral and dry slopes of southern California, Arizona, and Baja California, with a dense, rounded habit typically 4–12 ft tall and wide; leaves are large, leathery, glossy dark green and ovate, with stout reddish twigs. It bears small clusters of white to pinkish flowers at branch tips that are bee-pollinated, followed by small reddish drupes that are edible; the plant is fire resistant and attractive to birds and butterflies.
Growing conditions include full sun to partial shade and well-drained soils, with adaptability to chalk, clay, loam, and sand; drought-tolerant once established and requiring infrequent irrigation, while root rot may occur in chronically wet soils. It is hardy in USDA zones 7–11 and suitable for erosion control, hedges or screens, and other landscape uses; pruning should be light and infrequent, and propagation is by seed or cuttings.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
4-10 feet
Spread
4-10 ft
Hardiness Zones
Zones 7-11
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun; tolerates partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained soil
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil
Soil pH
6.0-8.0
Bloom Color
White to pink
Bloom Time
Spring and Winter
Foliage Color
Dark green
Fall Foliage Color
No fall color
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen broadleaf
Growth Rate
Fast
Seasons of Interest
Spring
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- S.Watson
- Publication
- Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 20: 358 (1885)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Sapindales
- Family
- Anacardiaceae
- Genus
- Rhus