Western Sumach or Mahogany Tree
The Western Sumach, or Mahogany (Rhus integrifolia, Benth. & Hook.), is entirely different, of course, from the true mahogany, a lumber tree of the tropics. This is a low, stout-trunked evergreen tree which forms thickets along the coast bluffs of Lower California and the adjacent islands. The leaves are simple, oval, and often toothed like the holly. Its flowers are in scant terminal clusters, white or rosy, succeeded by large, red, hairy berries. A cooling drink is sometimes made of the acid, fatty exudations of these berries, and the wood makes good fuel.