Shrub · Deer-resistant
Fragrant Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Also called: Aromatic Sumac
A low, spreading shrub that blazes orange-red in fall and holds slopes with its suckering roots. Aromatic foliage when brushed; red fuzzy berries for the birds.
Growing & care
Excellent for banks and erosion control thanks to its spreading habit. Drought tough and adaptable. Cut back hard to rejuvenate if it gets woody.
Bloom season
In bloom: Mar–Apr · Colors: yellow
Where to buy
Look for fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatica) at: Prairie Moon Nursery, native Texas nurseries.
Sources
Range, nomenclature, and the USDA symbol above come from the federal plant record for this species. Check it yourself:
Good for
Plant it with
Natives that pair with fragrant sumac
Same conditions, same uses — species that share fragrant sumac's growing requirements and belong in the same bed.
Coralberry
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus
A modest suckering shrub for shade that comes into its own in fall, when the arching branches string themselves with clusters of coral-pink berries the birds strip by spring..
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
An upright prairie grass with airy pink-bronze seed clouds and gold fall color.
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
The backbone grass of the American prairie, turning coppery-mahogany in fall and silver-tufted in winter.
Fall Aster
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium
A mounding aster that vanishes into the background all summer, then bursts into a haze of blue-purple daisies in October — a lifeline of late nectar for pollinators..
Inland Sea Oats
Chasmanthium latifolium
The rare ornamental grass that thrives in shade, dangling flat, papery seed heads that shift from green to bronze and rustle all winter.
Possumhaw Holly
Ilex decidua
Drops its leaves in fall to reveal branches packed with scarlet berries that glow through winter and feed cedar waxwings and robins in late season..