Rhus spp. of the family Anacardiaceae. There are at least 2 dozen species in the genus Rhus that have among them many dozens of names that are some variation of sumac (or sumach). The one that I have seen more prevalent in American woodworking is staghorn sumac (R. typhina and possibly a couple of others)
my samples: --- colors, although varied, are accurate throughout
sample plank and end grain sold to me as staghorn sumac / Rhus typhina
end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a plank of staghorn sumac --- heavy green tint is correct
set of planks and a closeup
closeup of the piece directly above
staghorn sumac planks and closeup
3 staghorn sumac planks
I was told, and have read, that staghorn sumac glows in black light so I checked it out and sure enough ... here's a pic of the plank directly above but taken in blacklight. If you look closely, especially in the enlargements, you'll also see that the bright white line of sapwood turns bright blue in the black light, but that seems to be common (the white sheet under the wood also turned bright blue ... you can see a little of it in the lower right edge of the pic)
closeup from the 3-plank pic directly above
plank and closeup --- this was cut from one of the larger planks above and then sanded for the pics.
end grain closeup of the piece direclty above
staghorn sumac planks
staghorn sumac planks and a closeup --- I specifically chose to put the orange colored plank in with some others to show the color variation, which is correctly represented here. BUT ... when I sanded this plank, I found that the orange was only skin deep and sanded right off ... don't know if it's a patina or what.
both sides of a small staghorn sumac plank sanded down for the pics
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
staghorn sumac planks
staghorn sumac planks
staghorn sumac planks
staghorn sumac planks
staghorn sumac planks
small plank of staghorn sumac with a pith area that I scooped out, pretty much with my fingernail --- the pith on this species is totally punky. The color on this pic is a bit too brown (should be more green)
a couple of staghorn sumac pen blanks and an end grain closeup of the pair
both sides of a rough plank contributed to the site by Milton Smith who cut it in Wisconsin and whom I thank for the contribution. Milton believes, based on the color, that this is smoothbark sumac.
NOTE: all of these pics of the smoothbark sumac are just a shade too orange and not quite green enough and I can't see any difference between this and some staghorn sumac I've seen (but that doesn't mean it is NOT smoothbark sumac)
both sides, sanded smooth, of the two small planks I recovered from the rough plank directly above
end grain of the 2 planks directly above
end grain closeups of the two planks directly above
NOTE: the pics of the following two planks of African sumac were submitted by Jon Dake, whom I thank most kindly for the contribution. Jon tells me these are freshly cut (unseasoned) from a tree in Arizona but which is not native to Arizona (Hey ... it doesn't LOOK like a cactus, does it)
both sides of a plank of African sumac and a closeup
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
staghorn sumac (R. typhina, also listed as Virgina sumac) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are avaiable for all 3 views
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
laurel sumac (R. laurina) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are avaiable for all 3 views
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
poison sumac (R. vernix) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are avaiable for all 3 views
flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
dwarf sumac (R. copallina) from The Wood Book --- both levels of enlargement are avaiable for all 3 views
web pics
staghorn sumac flat cut, quartersawn, end grain
mountain sumac (Rhus trichocarpa) pic submitted by Bill Mudry --- thanks Bill
plank
logs
staghorn sumac bowl blanks
staghorn sumac with very accurate color
staghorn sumac pen blanks
staghorn sumac log and bowl blank
both sides of a plank of staghorn sumac --- I bought this piece and you can see up with the pics of my own samples at the top of this page. The pics here have just a little too much red and not enough green
staghorn sumac planks all from the same vendor --- I'm confident these pics do not show as much green as is actually in the wood and that they have a little too much red tint. These are all from the same vendor as the ones just above here marked "very accurate color". The dealer is honest, just not too interested in color-correct images.
turning stock
crotch slab pair
staghorn sumac turning submitted by Sean Winger --- I doubt the color but I can't remember if Sean commented on it or not.
African sumac knife handle by Frank Ogle.
NOTE: all of the pics below were provided by Milton Schmit, who also provided the sample plank shown up above. This is all from the same tree, which Milton believes to be smoothbark sumac. I cannot vouch for the colors on any of these pics, but the pieces all came from the same tree as the sample plank shown above, so that should give you some idea. It is a very colorful piece, so the vibrant colors below are believable. Some of the color variation is likely due to the fact that Milton used various finishes on the different pieces.
two views of a bowl finished with water based varnish.
bowl and pepper shaker both finished with Danish oil
two bowls made from the root of the tree and finished with Danish oil
various objects made by Milton Schmit --- the enlargements really show the grain patterns well
