Rhus ovata -Sugar Bush Plant

Your plant will be shipped with the roots wrapped in damp paper towels and with plastic and ready to plant upon arrival. The plant will be between 12 to 15 inches in height with well-developed roots. Planting guidelines will also be included.

Rhus ovata, Sugar Bush is an eight foot evergreen shrub that can grow to twelve feet. This native of Southern California and Arizona has large white flower clusters in March-May, large leathery leaves and reddish edible berries used to make lemonade-like drink. Native to dry slopes away from the coast, Santa Barbara County(just south of Buellton) south into Baja. 

The small fruits from the sugar bush can be pressed to make a tart beverage, similar to lemonade. This drink kept early southern Californians cool on hot, dry summer days in the chaparral.

The Cahuilla people of the Mojave Desert collected sugar bush berries and ate them raw. These berries were also mashed into a porridge or else dried for later use.

The Cahuilla also used Rhus ovata for medicinal purposes. They prepared an infusion of leaves and drank it as a remedy for colds. This infusion was also applied for chest pains and coughs. The use of natural plant extracts to treat colds is a common phenomena throughout history.