Rhus coriaria
Sumac is a bushy shrub up to 10 ft tall. Small white flower are followed by dense clusters of fruit, each enclosed in hairy red/brown covering. Individual berries are round, up to quarter inch in diameter.
Sumac berries are dried and crushed to form a coarse purple-red powder, an essential ingredient in Arabic cooking for its sourness and astringency - used instead of lemons. It is rubbed on kebabs, put in salad dressings or often mixed with yogurt. Deep red color makes sumac power attractive garnish. Sumac leaves are used for leather tanning, making it light and flexible.
"The seed of Sumach eaten in sauces with meat, stoppeth all manner of fluxes of the belly..." (Gerard, 1597) Some spices of Sumac are similar to Poison and Poison Oak, and can cause allergic reactions. Since goats don't mind eating bark, they are considered an efficient removal method, helping prevent new shoots.
