Rhus (glabra)

John M. Englert USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Bldg. 509, BARC - East, E. Beaver Dam Road Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (301) 504-8175 (301) 504-8741 (fax) john.englert@wdc.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mdpmc/

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Family Scientific Name:	Anacardiaceae
Family Common Name:	Cashew Family
Scientific Name:	Rhus glabra
Common Name:	Smooth sumac
Species Code:	RHUGLA
Ecotype:	Shenandoah National Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway
General Distribution:	Quebec to British Columbia and New England states, south to Florida, Texas and Mexico. Found in dry or moist soils in open areas, roadsides and margins of woods.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Plug + (container-field grown hybrids)
Stock Type:	1+0 bareroot; Plug+1 transplants
Time To Grow:	1 Years
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Bareroot and container plants.<br> Height: About 12 inches.<br> Caliper: N/A.<br> Root System: Container plants have firm rootball.
Propagule Collection:	Collected in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia by J. Englert in 9/93; George Washington Memorial Parkway, Virginia by J. Englert on 11/3/95.
Propagule Processing:	Seed Processing: Collected seeds are removed from fuzzy fruit coating by either rubbing seed over ribbed rubber mats or by running through a mechanical scarifier for several seconds. Bits of fruit are then screened or fanned from seed lot. Seeds/Kg: Approximately 64,000. Germination: Germination has been variable in the field (similar to R. copallinum), as low as 1% and as high as 15%, both with scarified seed. Purity: Seed purity appears to be 95%.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seed Treatments: Seeds are soaked in concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for 30 minutes; then they are rinsed thoroughly under fresh water. Seeds are sown outdoors in the fall. Seed dormancy: Seed germination is inhibited by the extremely hard seedcoat.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Propagation Environment: Outdoor nursery beds. Seed Propagation Method: Pre-treated seeds hand-sown in rows. Container Type and Volume: Bareroot plants may be transplanted into quart to gallon size containers, depending on planting needs. Growing Media: In containers, plants are grown in woody mix (3.8 cu ft. bale Sunshine #1, 4 cu. ft. of pine bark mulch, 20 oz. Nutricote and approximately 20 oz. endo-mycorrhizae).
Establishment Phase:	Sowing Date: October-November for field sowing. % Emergence and Date: Seedlings emerge the following spring after fall sowing. Sowing/Planting Technique: Seeds are dusted with fungicide and hand sown into rows (rows are 5 to 6 inches apart, seeds are sown approximately 1/4 inch apart). Endomycorrhizae are sprinkled over the seed before covering with about 3/4 inch of soil. The beds are then mulched with aged sawdust. Establishment Phase: Sawdust mulch is scraped back in spring prior to seedling emergence. Newly emerged seedlings are monitored closely for irrigation needs. Young seedlings are shaded as soon as they emerge with poly screening at 30%. Shade cloth remains over seedlings until mid-August.
Active Growth Phase:	Rapid Growth Phase: Because NPMC soil is a nutrient poor sandy loam, seedlings are fertilized from mid-April with a granular 10-10-10 once a week through early June. From mid-June through late July, the 10-10-10 is alternated with a granular urea every other week. From late July through late August the seedlings are fertilized with 10-10-10 every two weeks. Overhead irrigation is used after every fertilization. The rate of water applied is determined by soil moisture prior to irrigation.
Hardening Phase:	Hardening Phase: During mid- to late summer, fertilization is cut back to twice monthly. Beginning in September, irrigation is only used in a severe droughty situation.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Harvest Date: Dormant bareroot plants are harvested in early to mid-December. Total Time to Harvest: Generally, bareroot plants are harvested 1 year after sowing. Container plants, depending on size, will require 1 to 2 additional seasons before they are field-ready. Storage Conditions: Bareroot plants are bundled into groups of 25 (or whatever is manageable), and long roots are trimmed. Root trimmings are saved for vegetative propagation use. Bundles are placed into plastic bins; roots are covered with sawdust. Bins are placed into a cold storage room (40§F) and watered as needed during the winter. Gallon size container plants are stored outside. Containers are laid on their side on weed barrier fabric, and covered with 2 layers of a microfoam insulating blanket. The blanket is secured over plants by threading a rope over the blanket between rebar anchors on either side of a block of plants. Seed storage: Seeds are stored dry in cloth bags or paper envelopes in seed cooler at 40§F, 35% relative humidity.
Length of Storage:	Storage Duration: 3 months.
Other Comments:	Some sources recommend scarifying seed for 1 to 3 hours in sulfuric acid; we generally go with a shorter time in acid (30 minutes) to avoid damaging seed.
References:	Brown and Brown. 1992. Woody Plants of Maryland. Port City Press, Inc. Englert, J. 1993 Annual Report to the National Park Service for Shenandoah National Park. USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Center. Beltsville, MD. Gleason, H and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. 2nd edition. New York Bot. Garden. White, J. 1995 Annual Report to the National Park Service for George Washington Memorial Parkway. USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Center. Beltsville, MD. USDA, Forest Service. 1974. Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States. USDA, Ag. Handbook 450.

Citation:

Kujawski, Jennifer L.; Davis, Katjy M.. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Plug + (container-field grown hybrids) Rhus glabra plants 1+0 bareroot; Plug+1 transplants; USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Beltsville, Maryland. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/24). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.