little leaf sumac
Rhus microphylla
The berries are covered in malic acid, which gives them a sour taste similar to lemons, earning them the nickname 'desert lemonade'.
- Scientific name
- Rhus microphylla
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Sapindales › Anacardiaceae › Rhus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- desert
- Habitat
- Arid desert scrub, rocky slopes, and canyon floors.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Chihuahuan Desert, Sonoran Desert, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Northern Mexico
- Size
- 1-4 meters tall, spreading shrub
- Lifespan
- 30-50 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation and extreme prolonged drought.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. The small red berries are edible and known for their tart, citrus-like flavor. When harvesting, do not over-forage to ensure wildlife has enough food. Avoid trampling the delicate root zone in arid environments.
Rhus microphylla , the littleleaf sumac , desert sumac , correosa , or agritos , is a species of sumac in the family Anacardiaceae, native to North America, in the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico, from central and western Texas, southern New Mexico, central and northern regions of the Mexican Altiplano-(Mexican Plateau), and extreme southeastern Arizona of the Madrean Sky Islands.
Photo: CK2AZ, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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