Sugar Bush, Rhus ovata

About Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata) 56 Nurseries Carry This Plant

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Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata) is an evergreen shrub to small tree that grows in chaparral in dry canyons and slopes below 4300 feet in southern California, Arizona and Baja California. In the southern part of its range (in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties), Sugar Bush generally grows in the foothills and mountains, and the closely related Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) grows closer to the coast.

It has a rounded appearance, often growing wider than tall. Sugar Bush has thick,breddish twigs. Its foliage consists of dark-green, leathery, ovate leaves that are folded along the midrib. The leaf arrangement is alternate.

Its flower clusters, which occur at the ends of branches, consist of small, five-petaled flowers that appear to be pink but upon closer examination actually have white to pink petals with red sepals. Additionally, the flowers may be either bisexual or pistillate. The fruit is a small reddish, sticky drupe, about 0.2 to 0.5 inches in diameter, that is said to be edible.

Sugar Bush is tough, easy to grow, and very fast growing once established. A 5-gallon container plant will reach 10 feet in about three years if happy.

In nature, you'll almost always see Sugar Bush on slopes, though it grows well on flat areas in garden applications. It's one of the few larger chaparral shrubs that grows well in south-facing slopes even in the drier parts of its range, and it's a great bank stabilizer. It tolerates a wide variety of soils.

It grows fastest with full sun, just a little slower in part shade. It tolerates summer water up to 1x per month but shouldn't need any once established. It is incredibly healthy and typically will appear green and lush through the entire dry season without any supplementary water.

The biggest downside of this plant is that it can get huge, often more than 30 feet wide, and can aggressively crowd out nearby plants. It is said to be fire resistant, especially if given supplemental water.

Sugar Bush hybridizes often with Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia). A good rule of thumb for landscaping applications is: Within 5-10 miles of the coast, Lemonade Berry is a better choice. More inland, Sugar Bush does better.

Plant Description

Plant Type

Shrub

Size

6.6 - 32.8 ft tall
30 ft wide

Form

Mounding, Rounded, Upright

Growth Rate

Fast, Moderate

Dormancy

Evergreen

Fragrance

Fragrant - Pleasant

Flower Color

White, Pink

Flowering Season

Spring, Winter

Wildlife Supported

Insects are attracted to the flowers. Birds are attracted to the fruits.
Bird gardens

Butterflies & moths hosted ( 1 confirmed

, 12 likely * ) SHOW ALL

Caloptilia ovatiellaCaloptilia ovatiella

Ceanothus Silkmoth Hyalophora euryalusHyalophora euryalus

Fruit-Tree Leafroller Moth Archips argyrospilaArchips argyrospila

Common Eupithacia Eupithecia miserulataEupithecia miserulata

Spotted Dantana Datana perspicuaDatana perspicua

Walter's Silkmoth Saturnia walterorumSaturnia walterorum

Drasteria edwardsiiDrasteria edwardsii

Landscaping Information

Sun

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture

Very Low

Summer Irrigation

Max 1x / month once established

Nurseries

Carried by 56

Ease of Care

Very Easy

Cold Tolerance

Tolerates cold to 0° F

Soil Drainage

Fast, Medium

Soil Description

Tolerates a variety of soils. Soil PH: 6.0 - 8.0

Common uses

Bank Stabilization, Hedges, Deer Resistant, Bird Gardens

Companion Plants

A wide variety of chaparral plants including Toyon (Hetermoles arbutifolia), Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia), Manzanita (Arctostaphylos species), Ceanothus species, Milkweed (Asclepias species), Giant Wild Rye (Elymus condensatus), Sand Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia), Sagebrush (Artemisia californica), Monkeyflower (Mimulus species), Encelia californica, Buckwheat (Eriogonum species), Heartleaf Keckiella (Keckiella cordifolia), Penstemon species, Salvia species, Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)

Maintenance

Susceptible to oak root fungus

Propagation?

By seed, but hybridization with Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) occurs readily. To avoid hybridization, use cuttings. For propagating by seed: Soak in tap water for 24 hours and immediately sow any seeds that swell. Boil the rest in water 1 minute and cool immediately. Alternative treatments: oven heat of 230°F for 5 minutes. (Went et al., 1952); oven heat of 212°F for 5-10 minutes. (Stone and Juhren, 1951); fire treatment for maximum germination soak in concentrated H20S4, 1 to 6 hours, depending on seed batch and age (Wright, 1931).

Sunset Zones?

9, 10, 11, 12, 14*, 15, 16, 17, 18*, 19*, 20*, 21*, 22*, 23*, 24*

Natural Setting

Site Type

Chaparral slopes, often south facing, often very hot and dry, from just inland of the coast to the mountains and desert transition

Climate

Annual Precipitation: 4.8" - 43.2", Summer Precipitation: 0.14" - 2.77", Coldest Month: 33.5" - 59.1", Hottest Month: 60.6" - 87.7", Humidity: 0.89" - 38.56", Elevation: -283" - 7419"

Alternative Names

Common Names: Sugar Sumac

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Sources include: Wikipedia. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the California Consortia of Herbaria, Sunset information provided by Jepson Flora Project. Propogation from seed information provided by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include CalPhotos, Wikimedia Commons, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include Calflora, CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online, Jepson Flora Project, Las Pilitas, Theodore Payne, Tree of Life, The Xerces Society, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.

Links: Jepson eFlora Taxon Page CalPhotos Wikipedia Calflora

Sugar Bush

Rhus ovata

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Sugar BushRhus ovata

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Sugar Bush

Rhus ovata