{"id":"rhus-trilobata","license":"CC-BY-4.0","data":{"scientificName":"Rhus trilobata","commonNames":["Sumac"],"taxonRank":"species","acceptedName":"Rhus trilobata","family":"Anacardiaceae","ids":{"usdaSymbol":"RHTR","gbifKey":3190562,"itisTsn":28791,"wikidataQid":"Q7155056","inatTaxonId":68409},"usdaZoneMin":"2a","zoneSource":"usda-plants","states":["AR","AZ","CA","CO","IA","ID","KS","MD","MT","ND","NE","NM","NV","OK","OR","SD","TX","UT","WA","WY"],"hardinessAssertions":[{"minimum":"2a","interpretation":"minimum-threshold","precision":"half-zone","zoneMapping":"derived-containing-band","sourceMeasurement":{"kind":"minimum-temperature","value":-47,"unit":"degrees-fahrenheit"},"applicability":"applicable","source":"usda-plants-characteristics","sourceRecordId":"RHTR","sourceTaxon":"Rhus trilobata","taxonMatch":"source-identifier","sourcePlacement":"PlantCharacteristics record 92983, Temperature, Minimum (°F)","sourceVersion":"PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23","asOf":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z"}],"plantForm":"shrub","matureHeightFt":4,"waterNeed":"low","photo":{"file":"/images/plants/rhus-trilobata.jpg","sourceUrl":"https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/310253516","license":"cc-by","attribution":"(c) Catherine C. Galley, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Catherine C. Galley","fetchedOn":"2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z"},"evidence":[{"source":"idaho-firewise-master-db","verdict":"recommend","verdictRaw":"fire-resistance score 8/7 (cultivars vary) of 10","score":{"value":8,"scale":"idaho-0-10"},"claims":"Cultivar scores span 7-8; verdict reflects the highest-scored form.","sourcePlacement":{"value":"plantable at 30' from home","scheme":"idaho-distance"},"url":"https://idahofirewise.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FireXResistanceXofXPlantsXMasterXDatabase.pdf","accessedOn":"2026-08-23T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"firesmart-bc","verdict":"recommend","verdictRaw":"FireSmart-approved fire-resistant plant","sourcePlacement":{"value":"suitable for HIZ extended zone (30-100 m)","scheme":"firesmart-hiz"},"url":"https://firesmartbc.ca/landscaping-hub/fire-resistant-plants/","accessedOn":"2026-08-23T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"usu-firewise-plants-utah","verdict":"recommend","verdictRaw":"listed as a firewise plant for Utah landscapes","claims":"Source says the plant can be firewise when properly used and maintained.","edition":"2005 revision","url":"https://extension.usu.edu/smallfarms/files/FirewisePlantsUtLandscapes.pdf","documentDate":"2005-02-01T00:00:00.000Z","accessedOn":"2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"msu-montguide-mt200101ag","verdict":"recommend","verdictRaw":"listed fire-resistant","claims":"Listed among fire-resistant plant species adapted to Montana.","edition":"Current as of 4/22","url":"https://extension-store.montana.edu/montguides/fire-resistant-plants-for-montana-landscapes","documentDate":"2022-04-01T00:00:00.000Z","accessedOn":"2026-08-24T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"csu-6305","verdict":"recommend","verdictRaw":"ignitability score 8 of 10","score":{"value":8,"scale":"idaho-0-10"},"claims":"CSU 6.305 table lists Rhus trilobata 'Autumn Amber' (Autumn Amber sumac) with the preserved ignitability score.","plantPart":"whole-plant","sourcePlacement":{"value":"suitable for defensible-space zones 1-2 (score 8+)","scheme":"csu-hiz"},"original":"idaho-firewise-master-db","edition":"2025","url":"https://csfs.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CSFS_CSU-Ext_Fact-Sheets_IRLP_2025_081825-2_web_accessible.pdf","documentDate":"2025-07-01T00:00:00.000Z","accessedOn":"2026-08-23T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"nm-emnrd-firewise-plant-list","verdict":"recommend","verdictRaw":"FireWise Plant List for New Mexico","claims":"Listed as Rhus trilobata (Skunkbush sumac) in Shrubs. Printed elevation cells: 4,000 ft=Y, 5,000 ft=Y, 6,000 ft=Y, 7,000 ft=Y, 8,000 ft=Y, 9,000+ ft=?. Water need: L-M; sun/shade: S/PS; mature height: 4-6’; approximate bloom: n/a.","plantPart":"whole-plant","sourcePlacement":{"value":"PDF page 4, Shrubs, p4-r26","scheme":"nm-emnrd-firewise-table-row"},"edition":"2003 Forestry Division PDF","url":"https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/Wui_plantlist.pdf","documentDate":"2003-10-08T00:00:00.000Z","accessedOn":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z"}],"flammabilityClass":"fire-resistant","ratingReason":"consensus","recommendation":"on-list","author":"grayson-graham","reviewStatus":"draft","lastVerified":"2026-08-23T00:00:00.000Z","reviewNotes":"Photo selected from license-verified candidates and human-reviewed 2026-08-24 (joint session). iNaturalist lists Rhus trilobata under Rhus aromatica."},"localAssessmentInputs":{"stateDistribution":["AR","AZ","CA","CO","IA","ID","KS","MD","MT","ND","NE","NM","NV","OK","OR","SD","TX","UT","WA","WY"],"nativeStates":[],"rangeAssertions":[{"relation":"documented-occurrence","geography":{"grain":"state","stateCodes":["AR","AZ","CA","CO","IA","ID","KS","MD","MT","ND","NE","NM","NV","OK","OR","SD","TX","UT","WA","WY"]},"provenance":"legacy-field"}],"usdaZoneMin":"2a","usdaZoneMax":null,"hardinessAssertions":[{"minimum":"2a","interpretation":"minimum-threshold","precision":"half-zone","zoneMapping":"derived-containing-band","sourceMeasurement":{"kind":"minimum-temperature","value":-47,"unit":"degrees-fahrenheit"},"applicability":"applicable","source":"usda-plants-characteristics","sourceRecordId":"RHTR","sourceTaxon":"Rhus trilobata","taxonMatch":"source-identifier","sourcePlacement":"PlantCharacteristics record 92983, Temperature, Minimum (°F)","sourceVersion":"PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23","asOf":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z","provenance":"cited"}],"hardinessSelection":{"status":"selected","assertion":{"minimum":"2a","interpretation":"minimum-threshold","precision":"half-zone","zoneMapping":"derived-containing-band","sourceMeasurement":{"kind":"minimum-temperature","value":-47,"unit":"degrees-fahrenheit"},"applicability":"applicable","source":"usda-plants-characteristics","sourceRecordId":"RHTR","sourceTaxon":"Rhus trilobata","taxonMatch":"source-identifier","sourcePlacement":"PlantCharacteristics record 92983, Temperature, Minimum (°F)","sourceVersion":"PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23","asOf":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z","provenance":"cited"},"assertions":[{"minimum":"2a","interpretation":"minimum-threshold","precision":"half-zone","zoneMapping":"derived-containing-band","sourceMeasurement":{"kind":"minimum-temperature","value":-47,"unit":"degrees-fahrenheit"},"applicability":"applicable","source":"usda-plants-characteristics","sourceRecordId":"RHTR","sourceTaxon":"Rhus trilobata","taxonMatch":"source-identifier","sourcePlacement":"PlantCharacteristics record 92983, Temperature, Minimum (°F)","sourceVersion":"PLANTS Help Document 2022; characteristics cache retrieved 2026-08-23","asOf":"2026-08-26T00:00:00.000Z","provenance":"cited"}]},"invasiveIn":[],"statusAssertions":[],"fireEvidenceClass":"fire-resistant","recommendation":"on-list","fireSourceScopes":[{"source":"csu-6305","sourceName":"Ignition-Resistant Landscape Plants (Fact Sheet 6.305)","sourceUrl":"https://csfs.colostate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CSFS_CSU-Ext_Fact-Sheets_IRLP_2025_081825-2_web_accessible.pdf","geography":{"grain":"state","stateCodes":["CO"]},"completeness":"partial","reviewStatus":"reviewed","scope":"Colorado State University Extension and the Colorado State Forest Service publish Fact Sheet 6.305 for Colorado's WUI and varied ecosystems. FireApproved exposes all 114 exact source owners at Colorado publication scope while retaining score, elevation, water, and Idaho-carrier lineage. Publication scope is not suitability for every Colorado site or zone.","sourceVersion":"CSFS-CSU-Fact-Sheet-6.305-2025-07","asOf":"2025-07-01T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"idaho-firewise-master-db","sourceName":"Fire Resistance of Plants Master Database","sourceUrl":"https://idahofirewise.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/FireXResistanceXofXPlantsXMasterXDatabase.pdf","geography":{"grain":"aggregate-region","stateCodes":["ID"],"regions":["Southern Idaho"]},"completeness":"partial","reviewStatus":"reviewed","scope":"The official database labels itself \"For Southern Idaho\" and describes Idaho residents at the urban-rangeland interface. FireApproved publishes 419 existing plant owners that cite its scored rows. This bounded Southern Idaho scope is regional context, not statewide coverage or a conclusion that the score transfers unchanged to every Idaho site.","sourceVersion":"Idaho-Firewise-Southern-Idaho-Master-2013-11-08","asOf":"2013-11-08T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"msu-montguide-mt200101ag","sourceName":"Fire-Resistant Plants for Montana Landscapes (MontGuide MT200101AG)","sourceUrl":"https://extension-store.montana.edu/montguides/fire-resistant-plants-for-montana-landscapes","geography":{"grain":"state","stateCodes":["MT"]},"completeness":"partial","reviewStatus":"reviewed","scope":"The April 2022 MontGuide explicitly presents fire-resistant species adapted to Montana. FireApproved publishes 92 exact plant records from the source while retaining excluded genus, family, and unresolved rows; the guide itself says not every listed species grows in every part of the state.","sourceVersion":"MT200101AG-current-2022-04","asOf":"2022-04-01T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"nm-emnrd-firewise-plant-list","sourceName":"FireWise Plant List for New Mexico","sourceUrl":"https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/Wui_plantlist.pdf","geography":{"grain":"state","stateCodes":["NM"]},"completeness":"partial","reviewStatus":"reviewed","scope":"New Mexico Forestry Division publishes this as its FireWise Plant List for New Mexico. FireApproved accounts for all 140 printed rows and publishes 95 exact same-rank owners already represented in the directory; 29 exact taxa without an existing record, 14 unresolved spellings or higher-rank matches, one compound taxon cell, and one species row whose only apparent owner has an infraspecific printed identity remain held. Every published row retains the source's Y, N, ?, or blank elevation cells. Publication scope does not erase those elevation limits or establish suitability for every New Mexico site.","sourceVersion":"NM-EMNRD-Forestry-WUI-Plant-List-2003-10-08","asOf":"2003-10-08T00:00:00.000Z"},{"source":"usu-firewise-plants-utah","sourceName":"Firewise Plants for Utah Landscapes (NR/FF/002)","sourceUrl":"https://extension.usu.edu/smallfarms/files/FirewisePlantsUtLandscapes.pdf","geography":{"grain":"state","stateCodes":["UT"]},"completeness":"partial","reviewStatus":"reviewed","scope":"Utah State University Extension states that this fact sheet selects examples for Utah landscapes and that they require proper placement and maintenance. FireApproved publishes 83 exact source owners at Utah publication scope. The table is not a site-specific planting clearance.","sourceVersion":"USU-NR-FF-002-2005-02","asOf":"2005-02-01T00:00:00.000Z"}],"firePerformanceConditions":[],"maintenanceAssertions":[],"maintenanceConditions":null,"regulatoryReviews":{},"seedReviews":{}},"legacyCompatibilityProjection":{"nativeStates":[],"invasiveIn":[],"usdaZoneMin":"2a"},"localAssessmentContract":"Compare each dimension separately. State noxious-weed seed designations are material-scoped and never become non-seed plant restrictions, ecological-invasive findings, nursery restrictions, alternatives, product evidence, or fire votes. Introduced/established context is not an invasive warning. Minimum-only hardiness has no inferred maximum; canonical source-temperature conversion is validated and contradictory applicable rows project no primary zone. L48 context applies only to conterminous states and is never exact-state status. Fire-performance conditions are not maintenance advice. FEIS fire-ecology context does not vote in the plant classification. Absence of a status row is not regulatory clearance."}