Texas Gardening: Texas Native Plant Pictures ( Shrubs ), 1 by htop

htop wrote:
Evergreen Sumac, Tobacco Sumac, Lentisco (Rhus virens), Anacardiaceae Family, Texas native, semi-evergreen (leaves turn and drop and are replaced within a week in winter), blooms late summer and early fall, drupes, fast growing

Common throughout the Hill Country and usually found on rocky slopes, this attractive tree or large shrub is evergreen except in the coldest winters (below 5 degrees). It can attain a height of up to 12 feet tall (3.6 m) and a width of 15 feet. Sometimes it can be found in a tree form (up to 15') as seen at Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve near Austin. It has a moderate growth rate. The leathery, shiny dark green leaves are paler colored on their undersides.

The ripe red fruit are a favorite of songbirds and this is important to other wildlife as well. It is not deer resistant; deer love the young plants.Native Americans collected the fruits to use in making a refreshing drink.

It can be killed by overwatering so the soil in which it is planted needs to be well drained. With its dark grren leaves, blooms and red fruit, the Carolina buckthorn makes an attractive specimen, hedge, or background plant. It is generally insect and disease-free, and drought-tolerant and should be planted more often in the landscape.