Sumac

Sumac
Temporal range:
Sumac fruit in the autumn season
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Subfamily: Anacardioideae
Genus: Rhus
L.
Type species
Rhus coriaria
Species

54; see text

Synonyms
12 Synonyms

Sumac or sumach (/ˈsmæk, ˈʃ-/ S(H)OO-mak, UK also /ˈsj-/)—not to be confused with poison sumac—is any of the roughly 35 species of flowering plants in the genus Rhus (and related genera) of the cashew and mango tree family, Anacardiaceae. However, it is Rhus coriaria that is most commonly used for culinary purposes. Sumac is prized as a spice—especially in Kurdish, Arab, Lebanese, Turkish, Armenian, Iranian, and other Eastern cuisines —and used as a dye and holistic remedy. The plants grow in subtropical and temperate regions, on nearly every continent except Antarctica and South America.