BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Rhus microphylla | Littleleaf Sumac 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Littleleaf sumac is a deciduous, perennial shrub reaching heights up to
15 feet (4.5 m) [38].  The branches are crooked, stiff, and intricately
branched; the twigs are spinescent.  The bark is dark grey to black,
smooth when young but becoming scaly with age.  Littleleaf sumac leaves
are 0.5 to 1.5 inches (1-4 cm) long and pinnately compound with five to
nine leaflets.  The leaves are a dull green and hairy.  Greenish-white
flowers occur in dense compound spikes; the hairy, red-orange fruit is a
0.25 inch (0.5 cm) long drupe [38].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Littleleaf sumac reproduces both sexually and vegetatively.

Seeds of all sumacs (Rhus spp.) have a hard seedcoat and germinate
poorly without pretreatment [3,38].  Sumac seed dispersal is almost
entirely by birds and other animals [3].  Dry seeds remain viable for 10
to 20 years in open storage [34].

Littleleaf sumac reproduces vegetatively by sprouting after disturbances
[42].  All sumacs can be propagated from root cuttings [38].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Littleleaf sumac occurs on sandstone, limestone, and granitic parent
materials [35].  It occurs in washes, canyons, and arroyos, and on
mesas, desert flats, and foothills in semidesert grasslands and desert
scrub [6,13,23,31].  Temperatures in these areas range from below
freezing to over 100 degrees F (0-40 degrees C), and precipitation
ranges from 3 to 16 inches (76-406 mm) annually [7,21,35].  The
elevational range of littleleaf sumac is generally 3,000 to 6,500 feet
(1,000-2,000 m), but it can range as low as 1,000 feet (300 m) in Texas
[5,7,23,31,35,38].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
The successional status of littleleaf sumac is not documented.  It
occurs in semidesert grasslands that have been invaded by shrubs such as
mesquite and juniper.  Littleleaf sumac apparently occurs in both seral
and climax communities [6].  Redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchotii) may
create a microclimate conducive to the establishment of littleleaf sumac
seedlings [29].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Littleleaf sumac flowers between March and May [23].  The flowers appear
prior to leaf emergence [38].  The fruit ripens from July to August
[20].

Related categories for Species: Rhus microphylla | Littleleaf Sumac