Sugar Berry
Rhus ovata
A number of stately Sugar Berry occur in Peralta Canyon, Superstition Mountains, Arizona where this photograph was taken Oct. 20, 2005. This image is also hosted at Wikipedia
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The white flowers appear in late April to early May. The sepals and inflorescence branches are bright red. Rackensack Wash, New River Mts., Maricopa Co., Arizona. 29 April 2018.
TREE: A medium sized tree with sometimes multiple stems from the root
crown, i.e. it can resemble a large shrub. Branches are often twisted and have colorful, scaly bark.
LEAVES: Dark green, shiny leaves are large by desert tree standards.
Twigs and leaves are strongly aromatic when crushed. During rapid growth
periods the terpene aroma may be detected a considerable distance from the plant.
RANGE: Upper Sonoran Desert particularly where it merges into Interior
Chaparral vegetation type. Fairly common in central Arizona. With a bit of
irrigation this beautiful tree makes a wonderful addition to a xeriscape and
does well in Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
FLOWERS/FRUIT: Flower buds and young sprigs of berries are sumac-red and
are borne in abbreviated panicles.
Anacardiaceae -- Sumac Family
More Information:
- Southwest Environmental Information Network
- USDA Plant Profile
- ITIS Taxonomic Report
- Google Images
- Google Scholar Literature Search
Sugar Berry (Rhus ovata) quickly re-establishes after fire from underground roots. Photo taken along Rackensack Canyon, Maricopa County, USA, in May 2008 three years after the fire.