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Rhus trilobata

skunkbush sumac

Anacardiaceae Western and central North America

Attracts Pollinators Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 3–9

Overview

Rhus trilobata is a deciduous shrub in the cashew family, growing 2-6 feet (0.6-1.8 m) tall and 4-8 feet (1.2-2.4 m) wide with a dense, often mounded, sometimes thicket-forming habit. The leaves are trifoliate, each with three lobed leaflets 0.5-1.5 inches (1.3-4 cm) long, and give off a pungent scent when crushed, the source of the name skunkbush. Small yellowish flowers open in early spring in tight clusters at the branch tips, before or as the leaves emerge. The fruit is a small, sticky, red, hairy drupe about 0.25 inch (6 mm) across with a tart flavor, ripening in summer and often holding into fall. The foliage turns orange to red before dropping. It grows on dry slopes, plains, canyons, and streamsides across western and central North America. The arching, rooting branches can form broad colonies, which makes the shrub hard to keep within a small space.

Native Range

Rhus trilobata is native to western and central North America, from British Columbia and the Great Plains south through the Rocky Mountains and Southwest to California, Texas, and northern Mexico. It grows on dry slopes, plains, canyons, and along streams.

Suggested Uses

Used for erosion control, windbreaks, informal hedges, wildlife plantings, and dry native or xeriscape gardens. The spring flowers draw bees, and the fruit feeds birds and small mammals. Space plants 4-6 feet (1.2-1.8 m) apart, allowing for the spreading habit.

How to Identify

Recognize Rhus trilobata by its trifoliate leaves with three small lobed leaflets that smell pungent when crushed, and by its dense, twiggy, often mounded form. Yellowish flower clusters appear at the branch tips in early spring, followed by sticky red hairy fruit. The foliage turns orange to red in fall.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height2' - 6'

Width/Spread4' - 8'

Reaches mature size in approximately 4 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~3 weeks

Spring

Small yellowish flowers open in early spring, generally March to April, before or as the leaves expand. The clusters last about 2-3 weeks. Sticky red fruit follows in summer and can persist into fall.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

green, orange-red in fall

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 5-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 8.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam rocky clay chalk

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

3-5 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to part shade on a wide range of well-drained soils, with a pH near 6.0-8.0, and tolerates drought, heat, cold, and poor ground once established. It withstands dry, rocky, and alkaline sites that many shrubs cannot. It needs little to no supplemental water after the first year and no routine feeding. The branches root where they touch soil, widening the clump over time. Wet, poorly drained soil is the main condition it does not tolerate.

Pruning

Prune in late winter while dormant to shape the shrub, remove dead wood, or renew old stems. It resprouts readily from the base after hard pruning. Removing rooted outer branches limits the spread of the colony.

Pruning Schedule

winter