Duration: Perennial, Evergreen. Growth Habit: Tree. Common Names: African Sumac, Karee, Western Karee, Willow Rhus. Sugar sumac Rhus ovata A deep evergreen shrub with dense foliage and a rounded shape, growing up to 15 ft tall. What can I do? Arizona Native Status: Introduced. Answer from NGA February 28, 2007. My tree by Devanjs3gmailcom: May 20, 2019 5:46 PM: 6: What is this plant? In North America, where it is naturalized, it is known as African sumac and willow rhus. African sumac has taken a quicker path to obsolescence in the Tucson area. Now, I check my yard daily and now see poison ivy starting to grow, and I have one 8 ft poison sumac tree, and certain there are several smaller ones in the back of my property. If so, how long do I have to wait before I can plant in the area again? Red buds open into clusters of pinkish flowers in the spring. This recently naturalized tree is native to the southern part of Africa. The petunias are all dying. So it's possible. Is the African Sumac alright to have around pets? by RobGlen: Jun 17, 2018 10:07 AM: 10: African Sumac (Searsia lancea) by jimard8: Aug 17, 2015 7:20 PM: 13 Ended up in ER 3x’s, admitted 2x’s all in one month, and missed a month of work. Answered by theficuswrangler on December 1, 2014. Also consider Rhus choriophylla. Petunias are also quite susceptible to juglone ( the poisonous compound in allelopathic plants.) I didn’t know which poisonous plants but identified and eradicated poison ivy. It is one of the most common trees on the Highveld and in the Bushveld in South Africa, but not found in the Lowveld. Searsia lancea commonly known as karee, karree (Afrikaans), is an evergreen, frost hardy, drought resistant tree, which can reach up to 8 metres in height with a 5 metre spread. Plant Characteristics. We would like to plant one in the back yard but have dogs, is this tree alright around pets? by Junkerist: Mar 30, 2019 8:48 AM: 15: Trying to identify this plant in my yard. To reduce drought stress, provide supplemental water, and shade during the summer. 0. The African sumac (Rhus lancea) is a pretty tree, at a distance. Habitat: Riparian. But it is terribly messy and weedy. It will freely seed itself wherever there is water, including in all your potted plants. We mulched our new flower bed with leaves from our African sumac tree. Are the African sumac leaves poisonous? A. I could not find African sumac listed in any of the allelopathic lists, although sumac as a genus is listed. It came to Arizona from South Africa in the 1920s and was planted heavily during the 1970s. African sumac, which is actually the same genus as poison oak, is considered poisonous; it may cause milder but similar symptoms to those allergic to it. I could not find African sumac listed in any of the allelopathic lists, although sumac as a genus is listed. This may seem harmless, but when you pull your 8 millionth plant out of the garden or a pot or whatever you are ready to chop the darn thing down!