Rhus coriaria, Tanners Sumach,
سمّاق, Summaq, אוג הבורסקאים
|
|
|
|
| | Scientific name: |
| Rhus coriaria |
| Common name |
| Tanners Sumach |
| Hebrew name: |
| אוג הבורסקאים |
| Arabic name: |
| سمّاق, Summaq |
| Family: |
| Anacardiaceae, משפחת האלתיים |
Date Picture Taken: May 7, 2007
|
|
|
| | Life form (Raunkiaer): |
| Phanerophyte shrub |
| Leaves: |
| Alternate, compound, dentate or serrate |
| Flowers: |
| Green |
| Flowering Period: |
| April, May |
| Habitat: |
| Mediterranean maquis and forest |
| Distribution: |
| The Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon |
| Chorotype, טיפוס התפוצה: |
| Irano-Turanian |
| Summer shedding: |
| Perenating |
Date Picture Taken: April 21, 2008
Derivation of the botanical name:
Rhus, latinization of the plant’s Greek name, rhous, ῥοῦς, commonly called sumac. Sumac is of Semitic origin, deriving from a root SMQ or ŚMQ “to be red”. In Modern Hebrew sumak, סומאק, means the spice exclusively. The name was transported to European languages via Arabic as-summaq, السماق, “sumac”.
coriaria, corium, κοριον, "animal skin, hide", leather; arius, "connected to or possessed by"; leather like.
Pliny the Elder:
- book XIII-55; the sumach is used for bleaching leather.The seed, which resembles a lentil, turns red at the same time as the grapes; it is called rhus and is required for certain drugs.
- book XXIV-91; The shrub called "the tanner's", of a reddish colour, a cubit high, and of the thickness of a finger, the leaves of which when dried are used as is pomegranate rind in the tanning of leather.
|
| | | | |