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Anacardiaceae FAMILY

Rhus integrifolia

Rhus integrifolia

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

The genus Rhus is being treated in its strict sense here, so it excludes the many species with highly toxic and irritant sap (these are included in Toxicodendron). Although the two genera are very similar, it is relatively simple to distinguish which is which, the poisonous species (Toxicodendron) have axillary panicles and smooth fruits whilst non-poisonous species (Rhus) have compound terminal panicles and fruits covered with acid crimson hairs[1, 2]. Whilst the genus Rhus in this treatment is generally seen as having a non-toxic sap there are some suggestions that the sap of some species in the genus (including this one) can cause a skin rash in susceptible people.

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
Growth—

Rhus integrifolia is not very cold-hardy, tolerating occasional falls in temperature to around -5°c when it is fully dormant. It requires hot summers if it is to thrive, since this ensures that its new growth is fully developed and ripened - in areas with cool summers it will be even more cold-sensitive[3]. Older plants become somewhat hardier and so it is worthwhile growing them on for a few years in pots with some winter protection (such as a cold greenhouse) in areas towards the edge of their hardiness[PFAF]. Some 4 year old plants were cut back to the base by temperatures below -5°c on our Cornish trial grounds, but they resprouted from the base in early summer[PFAF]. The young growth in spring is also very cold-sensitive and can be damaged by late frosts. The plant succeeds in a well-drained fertile soil in full sun[4, 3]. Succeeds in a hot dry position. Plants usually form thickets in the wild[5]. Plants have brittle branches and these can be broken off in strong winds[3]. Plants are also susceptible to coral spot fungus[4]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[3]. A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in hot water (starting at a temperature of 80 - 90c and allowing it to cool) prior to sowing in order to leach out any germination inhibitors[3]. This soak water can be drunk and has a delicious lemon-flavour. The stored seed also needs hot water treatment and can be sown in early spring in a cold frame[3]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. It might be wise to grow the plants on in pots for a few years before planting out - see notes in 'Cultivation Details'[PFAF]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame[3]. Root cuttings 4cm long taken in December and potted up vertically in a greenhouse. Good percentage[6, 3]. Suckers in late autumn to winter[3]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Rhus+integrifolia>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  2. [2]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  5. [5]The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. — Elias. T. · Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. · 1980 · ISBN 0442238622 ↩︎A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.
  6. [6]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  7. [7]The American Woods (in 14 volumes) — Hough R.B. · Romeyn B. Hough Co.; New York · 1888 - 1928 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Detailed information, with photographs, of the woods of almost 400 species of American trees. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  8. [8]A California Flora. — Munz P.A. & Keck D.D. · University of California Press; Los Angeles · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.
  9. [9]Manual of the Trees of N. America. — Sargent. C. S. · Dover Publications Inc. New York. · 1965 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ · ISBN 0-486-20278-X ↩︎Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader. It can be downloaded from the internet.
  10. [10]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  11. [11]A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. — Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. · Van Nostrand Reinhold · 1982 · ISBN 0442222009 ↩︎Very readable.
  12. [12]Food Plants of the N. American Indians. — Yanovsky. E. · U.S. Depf of Agriculture. · ISBN - ↩︎A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]A Field Guide to the Common and Interesting Plants of Baja California. — Coyle. J. and Roberts. N. C. · Natural History Publishing Co. · 1975 · ISBN - ↩︎A very readable pocket flora with good illustrations, it gives quite a few plant uses.
  14. [14]Early Uses of Californian Plants. — Balls. E. K. · University of California Press · 1975 · ISBN 0-520-00072-2 ↩︎A nice readable book.
  15. [15]Common Edible and Useful Plants of the West. — Sweet. M. · Naturegraph Co. · 1962 · ISBN 0-911010-54-8 ↩︎Useful wild plants in Western N. America. A pocket guide.
  16. [16]Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. — Saunders. C. F. · Dover Publications · 1976 · ISBN 0-486-23310-3 ↩︎Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.
  17. [17]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  18. [18]Native American Ethnobotany — Moerman. D. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 1998 · ISBN 0-88192-453-9 ↩︎Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
  19. [19]A Weavers Garden — Buchanan. R. · McGraw-Hill Contemporary · 1987 · ISBN 0934026289 ↩︎Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.
  20. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎