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African sumac Anacardiaceae Rhus lancea L. f. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: RHLA11
Leaf: Alternate, evergreen, trifoliate compound, linear, narrow leaflets (willow like) each 3 to 5 inches long, entire margins, leathery, often slightly curved, shiny dark green above, paler below.
Flower: Species is dioecious; small, creamy green colored in large tight cluster or spray, appearing in early spring.
Fruit: Small round, glossy tan drupe, 1/4 inch in diameter in a hanging many branched cluster.
Twig: Slender, light red to greenish tan, darkens with age to a reddish brown.
Bark: Dark reddish brown, later becoming lighter and quite scaly.
Form: A wide spreading small tree with a dense crown reaching up to 25 feet tall.

African sumac leaf image
African sumac fruit image
African sumac twig image
African sumac bark image
African sumac form image
African sumac map image

Additional Range Information: Rhus lancea is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information