My daughter has a beautiful tree in her new garden in Perth, Scotland. It is about 7ft tall, with slim leaves and when she first saw it in the summer it looked as if it had cones on it, but it was all green. The 'cones' turned out to be made up of small pink/mauve flowers, they appeared to resemble lilac blossom, but pointing up (not hanging down). The leaves turned a beatiful red as autumn came, but by the time I visited in October, they had all dropped off, but where the flowers had been there where upright cones of what I can only describe as pink/purple catkins, closely packed together in this cone shape. I have never seen anything like it, and neither has anyone I've asked about it. I have sent several hours today searching Kew Gardens site, Wikipedia, and everytree, garden centre I could find - all to no avail!!! I then came across this site, so someone out there is my only hope! Many thanks if anyone can help us Yours truly Marion Sheppard, London England
Hi Michael, Thanks for your reply, but I looked at your suggestion and but I don't think it's that. I have a picture taken in the summer, it's not very good but I hope it helps. Thanks Marion S
Either staghorn or smooth sumac, or perhaps the hybrid between them. From here it looks like it might be the latter but impossible to be certain from distance picture was taken from.
Hi Ron, Thanks for your help, I think we're getting nearer! I've looked at your suggestions, and the tree seems a little like them, but the tiny flowers are mauve, bell shaped, standing upright in a cone shape, and the velvety pods that come later are a deep pink,also closely packed in the same shape, the leaves are slim and about 6" long. I'll ask my daughter to take some closer pics next year and I'll try again. Many thanks Marion S
Yes, and if you look closely at (the admittedly) small picture, you can just make out the blue/mauve clusters of flowers, which turned into the velvet pods in the same cone shape in October. Marion S
Hi Marion, From your small pic, I think Ron is right with his suggestion of Rhus. Would it be possible for your daughter to take a close up of the..... "upright cones of what I can only describe as pink/purple catkins, closely packed together in this cone shape"... and add to this thread. This would help confirm the id.
Hi there, I'm beginning to think Ron is right also, it just didn't look quite right on wikipedia when I did a search, but then I never saw it personally until Oct. when all the flowers and all but 2 leaves had gone!!!I'll ask my daughter to send me a close-up and post it on the site, otherwise I'll have to wait until next summer!!!! Thanks for the replies Marion S
For statistical assistance, Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) is commonly grown in Britain, but the hybrid is very rarely grown here.
>the hybrid is very rarely grown here< 13 suppliers in the online version of the RHS Plant Finder, with the 'Red Autumn Lace' cultivar being designated as an RHS Award of Garden Merit plant. http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantfinder2.asp?crit=rhus and autumn and lace&Genus=Rhus
Yeah, but that would probably compare with about 1300 suppliers for Rhus typhina (most of them popular 'big box' chain stores which aren't listed in RHS Plantfinder)
Your statement was "very rarely grown". Probably some stocks still sold as cutleaf smooth sumac will also be hybrids. "A cutleaf clone commonly sold in Europe as R. glabra 'Laciniata' was renamed 'Red Autumn Lace' in 1994*" --Jacobson, North American Landscape Trees (1996, Ten Speed Press, Berkeley) in his discussion of R. x pulvinata. *Coombes, The New Plantsman 1(2): 107-113. 1994
Yep, and I stand by it. It isn't something you'll find at all easily in an average garden (the context of the original post), whereas R. typhina is.
I sell it where I work. We stock it regularly and rarely stock R.typhina. As we are a big tourist attraction, these unusual plants do occasionally find their way to the extreme corners of the UK.
