Searsia lancea

African sumac

Family: Anacardiaceae · Type: shrub · Not Native

African sumac is a naturalized shrub found in southern California coastal and desert regions in canyons, alluvial fans, coastal scrub, riparian woodland, and disturbed places at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces white to pale yellow flowers in pendant clusters. Growing 1 to 8 meters tall with linear to narrowly lanceolate leaflets that are leathery and generally flat, it forms a substantial, somewhat stiff shrub. Its leaves have distinctive leaflets 2.5 to 12 centimeters long and 0.5 to 2 centimeters wide, with acute to slightly obtuse tips. The fruit is smooth, yellow to yellow-brown, and approximately 5 to 8 millimeters in diameter.

Habitat: Canyons, alluvial fans in desert, coastal scrub, riparian woodland, disturbed places

Bloom period: Mar-Jun

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: SCo, DSon

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.