Bark
Smooth, greyish-brown bark marked with prominent horizontal lenticels on older trunks, exuding a gummy sap when bruised.
Rhus chinensis
Syn. Rhus javanica var. chinensis
IUCN Red List
Least Concern
(LC)
Local name
- Nutgall tree (English)
- Tatri (Hindi)
Tree type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Anacardiaceae
6m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Alternately arranged, pinnately compound leaves (20–40 cm long) composed of 7 to 13 opposite, toothed leaflets. Characteristically, the central leaf stalk (rachis) features broad, leafy wings running between the leaflets.
Flower
Tiny, creamy-white to yellowish-green flowers packed densely into massive, multi-branched terminal panicles up to 30 cm long.
Fruit / Seeds
Small, subglobose, slightly flattened drupes (~5 mm wide) that transition to a brilliant orange-red or pinkish hue, covered in a salty, acidic crust containing one hard seed.
Did you know?
The most fascinating feature of Rhus chinensis is its interaction with the aphid, which induces the formation of hollow, irregular growths called Chinese galls valued for their high tannin content.
Distribution
N. Pakistan to Japan, Sumatera, Turkey