# sumac - Searsia lancea ?



## vegas urban lumber (Nov 9, 2017)

so i got a log today from landscape removal. sumac as the landscaper called it. not quite like the african sumac that i have cut before that was very plain wood almost no character, just turned red. this one appears a lot less reddening and more like the pictures shown here first. the bark is like african sumac but also much less red. leaves are correct but trunk and limbs on this variety seem much straighter, than on the red aging one. as i find many varieties on the internet the wood slab and picture of the tree listed as searsia lancea seems closest. any one way in on this varietal difference? or Rhus Lancea


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## vegas urban lumber (Nov 9, 2017)

here's the cross section of the new log i just got looks way different than the African sumac i've gotten in the past

Reactions: EyeCandy! 2


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## vegas urban lumber (Nov 9, 2017)

lol... lot of help you are @rocky1


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## ClintW (Nov 9, 2017)

Looks like it will have alot of figure! Almost like birds eye!


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## Mr. Peet (Nov 9, 2017)

There are a lot of members in the _Searsia_ genus....


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## vegas urban lumber (Nov 9, 2017)

Mr. Peet said:


> There are a lot of members in the _Searsia_ genus....


is it searsia or rhus genus. seems to be mixed info on the internet


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## barry richardson (Nov 9, 2017)

Looks like African Sumac to me. Leaves and wood. I get a lot of it. Appearance can vary quite a bit. Also prone to figure like the cross section you show...

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## phinds (Nov 9, 2017)

I think when you get a flat cut surface you'll se more figure than you seem to expect.

How big is that piece?

I'd have to see a really good shot of the end grain to even guess at what species it might be and even then it would likely be impossible to tell.

@Mr. Peet you have any ideas on the species?


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## rocky1 (Nov 9, 2017)

I think when you open it up, everyone is going to want a piece of it, whatever it is, looking at the end of that log! I could envision bowl blanks there, and I don't even turn bowls (_yet_)!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mr. Peet (Nov 10, 2017)

No clue on species, stuff isn't grown here. For species you really need a clear leaf picture on a solid white background, with a measuring tape or other to show scale. The same for the buds and a picture or thee of the leaf scar on the tree and the petiole end of the leaf. Several bark shots and if possible flower and fruit shots. With all of those it could be reduced to species with high confidence.

They were all Rhus, then a few years ago, maybe 7, they changed most in Africa to Searsia.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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