Rhus punjabensis - Punjab Sumac

Rarely offered as a starter plant - it takes 1 year even to have geminated seeds and another year to have starter plants like ours on offer. Native to India, orange and red in the Autumn, and indeed this is one of the best shrubs or small trees for a vibrant red autumn colour. Often grows sideways with thick, brittle branches, covered with purple, velvety hairs on the young branchlets. Decorative, hairy, composite leaves will grow in large numbers and tiny yellow flowers are arranged in terminal panicles. Female flowers produce showy fruiting clusters, with each cluster containing numerous hairy, berry-like drupes which ripen bright red in autumn, gradually turning dark red as they persist through much of the winter. Fruit is attractive to wildlife, easy to grow but deep rooted. If it is left spreading, it will grow ‘colonies’ from root suckers, but not too aggressive. Hardy to about -15c, it looks great in shrub borders or on its own in the lawn.