Sumac Is A Spectacular And Vibrant Vinegar Tree. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Photo

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Sumac Is A Spectacular And Vibrant Vinegar Tree. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Photo
Sumac Is A Spectacular And Vibrant Vinegar Tree. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Photo

Video: Sumac Is A Spectacular And Vibrant Vinegar Tree. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Photo

Video: Sumac Is A Spectacular And Vibrant Vinegar Tree. Care, Cultivation, Reproduction. Photo
Video: Sumac - grow, care & harvest fruits 2024, March
Anonim

One of the most ancient plants on our planet - sumac can boast not only dyeing and tanning properties, but also decorativeness. Among the dozens of species of this large, but elegant and spreading plant with luxurious feathery leaves, a special place is occupied by deer-horned sumac - a vinegar tree. Slow-growing, not exceeding 5 meters, he is recognized as one of the best soloists among large woody ones. Its main advantage is high decorativeness from early spring to spectacular leaf fall, which is replaced by winter fruit decorations.

Deer-horned Sumac, or Furry Sumac, Vinegar tree (Rhus typhina)
Deer-horned Sumac, or Furry Sumac, Vinegar tree (Rhus typhina)

Sprawling miracle with luxurious leaves

Sumakh can be easily recognized at a glance. Low deciduous trees, gradually spreading so wide that they seem almost bushy, attract attention both by the structure of the crown and luxurious foliage. Feathery, with simple lobes, on rounded or winged petioles, with inconspicuous flowers collected in spectacular panicles and candle spikelets of inflorescences and a bright autumn color of the crown make sumac one of the most impressive woody ones.

Sumac fluffy or deer- horned (rhus typhina) is better known in our country under the name of vinegar tree. This woody one is considered one of the most ornate. The ceremonial, catchy beauty attracts admiring glances to the sumach and makes it one of the best purely decorative candidates for the status of a family tree. The combination of unusual feathery foliage and an extravagant crown pattern, spreading in breadth, almost bushy, cannot but admire. And sumy retains its attractiveness all year round.

A vinegar tree in garden culture rarely grows to 4-6 m (not to mention the natural ten-meter height), most often being limited to 3 meters. It grows straight, a little strictly only at a very young age, and then wide shoots show themselves with might and main. The older the sumac becomes, the more it grows in width, becoming more and more spreading, luxuriously spreading. Surprisingly powerful, fast-growing branches require a considerable area for sumach. But the spectacle of bizarrely curving branches, which can only be appreciated in winter, fully compensates for the girth of the crown.

And the older the vinegar tree gets, the more beautiful it looks. Sumach shoots are light, brownish, thick, and the truth is somewhat reminiscent of deer antlers. Leaves are pinnate, with lobes up to 12 cm long. Each complex leaf has from 11 to 31 leaves, while the surface of the leaf plates resembles velvet, the shape is pointed, long, the denticles are large along the edge, and the underside of the leaves is whitish. The huge feathery leaves of sumach, already forming a fabulous crown in the summer, seem to be engulfed in a crimson fire in the fall, and the woody itself turns into hardly the brightest color spot in the garden except for maples. But even with the fall of the foliage, the decorative show of the deer-horned sumach does not end: the inflorescences are replaced by the same spectacular pyramids-panicles of seed fruits that do not attract birds and adorn the bushes like a luxurious garland.

Deer-horned sumac, or Furry sumac, Vinegar tree
Deer-horned sumac, or Furry sumac, Vinegar tree

This sumac blooms in June and July, I join the powerful explosion of colors in early summer. The flowers are small, but are collected in pyramidal inflorescences up to 20 cm in height with a densely hairy axis, seem to be dense and lacy. The plant is dioecious. In inflorescences of sumach, there are red pistillate and lime staminate flowers. After flowering, spheroid-shaped drupes covered with red bristles are tied, which remain in the pyramids until spring.

Deer-horned sumach has several decorative forms. The lanceolate form (laciniata) differs from the base culture only in thin, lanceolate leaf lobes with deeper denticles. The form of reindeer-horned sumach "Dissecta" is considered to be especially attractive. It is a unique woody, whose feathery leaves, painted in a bluish-silver tone, resemble graceful fern frond. And the seed fruits of this variety are very bright, carmine.

Other types of sumac

Despite the fact that in nature there are more than a hundred species of sumac, the use of these tree species in landscaping as ornamental plants is significantly limited. First, almost all types of sumac are woody for medium to large gardens. And secondly, in the family there are species that are so toxic that even casual contact with the foliage causes burns to the skin (eg, poison ivy poison (rhus toxicodendron, today is referred to the mind Toxicodendron pubescens (Toxicodendron pubescens). As a decorative addition of acetic tree only 2 non-toxic types are used:

  • aromatic sumac (Rhus aromatica) is a creeping shrub limited to 1 m in height, individual branches of which can grow up to 3 m in length. Spectacular, catchy, slow-growing, it blooms from the age of five, invites you to admire the pale openwork pyramids in the second half of June;
  • naked sumac (Rhus glabra) - a species that is often confused with deer-horned sumac; compact bushy tree up to 3 m in height with beautiful umbellate crown outlines, bare shoots, compound feathery leaves, consisting of large lanceolate lobes up to 12 cm long. The entire leaf grows up to half a meter in length. A beautiful bright color, a jagged edge give the leaves a special elegance, and in autumn they turn orange and carmine. Dense panicles with red female flowers and looser panicles with whitish male flowers simultaneously bloom on the plant. Inflorescences reach 20 cm in length, very showy. Fruits are spherical, flattened, bristly, hold in seed-fruits literally all winter, ripening in September. It can bloom not only in June, but also again in early autumn.
Sumac fragrant, or aromatic (Rhus aromatica)
Sumac fragrant, or aromatic (Rhus aromatica)
Sumac naked (Rhus glabra)
Sumac naked (Rhus glabra)
Toxicodendron fluffy, poisonous sumac (Toxicodendron pubescens)
Toxicodendron fluffy, poisonous sumac (Toxicodendron pubescens)

The use of sumac in ornamental gardening

The vinegar tree is one of those woody ones that are more suitable for the role of soloists. The beauty of the sumach is spectacular, it is a textural plant with extraordinary foliage. But since they require large areas and do not like close proximity, it is better to plant them in the role of large single accents or in such compositions in which the sumach will be surrounded by short and strict companions. Excellent for strengthening slopes and soil, in places of erosion, as a major dominant in rockeries and alpine slides. Especially effective on large lawns and flat areas. Outwardly, the vinegar tree is perceived almost as a relative of palm trees, exotic, catchy, surprisingly effective. It's impossible to get used to its appearance. The beauty of sumach is perfectly emphasized by conifers. When planting a vinegar tree, it is better to focus on autumn and winter: it is placed there,where the landscape is boring in the cold season, because the bright autumn outfit and beautiful patterns of branches and seedlings make sumac one of the best decorations in the winter garden.

Despite the rather large size in nature, in the garden culture, sumy is limited to a modest 3 meters of maximum height, it develops in breadth, and not upward. The plant can be used not only in large gardens, but also as the main tree in small areas.

Raising deer-horned sumach

Reindeer sumac is considered one of the best arboreal, capable of growing well in poor soils and even in polluted urban conditions. It is a light-loving plant that prefers open sun areas.

The only difficulty in selecting conditions for reindeer-horned sumac is the plant's preference for soil composition. This woody plant grows well only in sandy, sandy-stony, sandy-clayey soils. Sumy prefers dry and loose garden soils, does not tolerate high groundwater and waterlogging, dense soils, but can withstand moderately moist and moist drained soil types. Undoubted "plus" - sumach can put up with insignificant salinity and settle where most of the classic woody ones will not grow.

Deer-horned sumac, or Furry sumac, Vinegar tree
Deer-horned sumac, or Furry sumac, Vinegar tree

Vinegar tree care

In fact, the deerhorn sumach does not need any care at all. This plant is not afraid of even severe droughts and does not require watering, it is heat-resistant, capable of surprising with a repeated wave of flowering. There is no need to make fertilizing for this woody.

One of the key features of this species of sumach is the ban on pruning. You can only admire the unique curves of the branches and the bizarre crown pattern on mature trees, on old, untouched shoots. All pruning procedures are reduced to the removal of dry, damaged branches, that is, to sanitary measures. If you want to succeed in growing it, then the plant is better allowed to develop freely. But if the tree itself is not touched, then the root shoots will have to be fought tirelessly. Sumac grows very actively, produces numerous root shoots, and in this it is similar to wild or old garden cherries. And if you do not remove the sprouts, then sumac will literally fill everything around.

Sumy practically does not get sick, does not attract garden pests.

Sumach wintering

Despite the fact that the deer-horned sumac is freezing in the middle lane, it does not need protection for the winter and grows well without any shelter. The shoots of this woody tree have time to lignify only 2/3 of their length, but it quickly recovers and traces of winter damage on the vinegar tree are practically not visible.

Deer-horned Sumac, or Furry Sumac, Vinegar tree (Rhus typhina)
Deer-horned Sumac, or Furry Sumac, Vinegar tree (Rhus typhina)

Sumach breeding

Sumac is one of the rare tree species that is best propagated vegetatively. At the same time, the main disadvantage of the plant turns into a real surprise: the active release of root shoots allows you to constantly get new plant specimens. The seedlings separated from the mother bush adapt very well to a new place.

But getting this kind of sumach from seeds is a real challenge. Seed germination lasts only 3-4 years, while the maximum rates of 2% are rare. And the seedlings are not viable (even those plants that can be weakened, in contrast to those obtained from the shoots, will die off in 15-20 years). The germination of sumach seeds requires a two-month stratification, germination is increased by treatment with concentrated sulfuric acid and scalding (acid treatment should last 50 minutes, and the seeds are dipped into boiling water immediately after the procedure).

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