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The colors of Fall

© Mel. White

No matter where I am, the sight of the sumac always brings back the memory of a leaf-swept fall afternoon in Kentucky. My family is hiking along the banks of a river near Ft. Hood; a broad swirl of greenish gray water that keeps pace with us as we climb up the trail. Dad is telling us about the plants in the forest; things he learned from his parents and grandparents. As we round a corner, a blaze of glorious red bushes block our way, their crimson leaves and berries reminding me somehow of the temples of Siam. They sway in the wind, graceful as dancers.

"Sumac," my father says. "Not poison sumac. That's different. This is just good sumac. Good for birds and animals." He starts to walk on, but I lag behind to snatch a leaf from this crimson tree. The bush is just my height. When you're eleven years old, the smallest of coincidences can seem like the greatest of mysteries. At night, I tuck the leaf under my pillow and dream of a tree with leaves like flames where bright red cardinals sing "cheer, cheer, cheer."

That was long ago and far away, but the sight of the sumac with its rusty round berries always brings back the memory of fall and Kentucky.

The sumac family is a widespread group that belongs to the genus, Rhus (which rhymes with "goose") and is related to the cashew. They grow in zones 3-8 throughout the world. Sumacs were valued for one of the chemicals in their bark and leaves called "tannin" -- and yes, this is what the American Indians used for tanning hides in some areas.

Depending on which area you live in, the sumac may be either a species on the 'seriously declining' list, a welcome partner in a Successional Old Field meadow, or a real pest that takes over other resources. They're hardy shrubs and grow vigorously and can be notoriously difficult to kill.

Physically, they're an attractive plant (particularly in the fall, when their foliage turns bright red). They are fairly low growing (from 2-16 feet in height (depending on the species.) Their leaves always reminded me of the leaves of pecan trees -- something like a very ragged feather. The fruit is about the size of a pencil eraser, and dark red in color. You can usually find clusters of sumacs standing guard over ÿÿ‰ oned fields, railroad rights-of-way, roadsides, fences, and forests.

But for me, sumacs are for fall, and always for Kentucky, and always full of bright red birds that

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