Rhus javanica

Rhus javanica, better known today as Rhus chinensis, is the Chinese sumac or nutgall tree, a fast, adaptable deciduous large shrub or small tree of East and Southeast Asia, in time reaching fifteen to twenty-five feet. The pinnate leaves, carried on downy shoots and set along a distinctively winged leaf stalk, turn vivid yellow to red in autumn, and creamy panicles of small flowers open in late summer, feeding bees when much of the garden has finished.

The plant is famous less for the flowers than for a curious partnership. A specialized aphid galls the young growth, and the resulting swellings, known as Chinese gall, Galla chinensis, or Wu Bei Zi, are among the richest natural sources of tannin known, long harvested across Asia for tanning, ink, dye, and medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine the dried galls have been used for centuries as a powerful astringent, and modern reviews have begun to catalog the gallotannins behind that long reputation.

As a garden plant the Chinese sumac earns a place for the bold, ferny foliage, the late nectar, the flaming fall color, and the clusters of small reddish fruit that follow and feed birds. The genus name Rhus is the ancient word for the sumacs, and this species belongs to the same tannin-rich, astringent clan as the American sumacs, differing mostly in the winged leaf axis and the eastern origin.

Give the Chinese sumac a sunny to lightly shaded spot with well-drained soil and room to spread, as a fast screen, a bold-textured specimen, or an anchor in a collector's or ethnobotanical planting. The plant suckers and self-sows in warm climates, so site where volunteers can be managed, and pair with other tough, sun-loving shrubs. Fast, adaptable, and drought-tolerant once established, with a story few other shrubs can match.