SC - recipe for za'tar

[LrdRas at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/8/00 7:05:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Seton1355 at aol.com 
writes:

<<  BTW, 
 what is the difference between sumac and poison sumac?
 (serious question)
 Phillipa >>

Poison sumac has smooth leaves, smooth bark, grows more shrubby and has 
fruits that hang in panicles and are whitish green in color. It prefers a wet 
or swampy location and usually does not form large masses of clumps. Poison 
sumac is rarely encountered. For pictures of this plant in different seasons 
and more information go to> http://res.agr.ca/brd/poisivy/poisume.html

Regular sumac has new growth of hairy bark, hairy leaves, grows more upright 
with a longer trunk and a bushy top. The fruits are fuzzy and red growing in 
an upright tight pointed cone shaped mass. It is also sweetly aromatic. It 
grows in abandoned fields or open spaces that are well drained. In suburban 
settings it usually grows in waste areas that are on the dry side. It has a 
clumping habit of growth. The American species that most closely resembles 
the Persian species is known as Staghorn Sumac and is the most often seen 
form in the Northeastern section of the USA. For information about the 
Staghorn sumac see> 
http://www3.pei.sympatico.ca/garyschneider/shrub/ssumac.html

There is another tree which looks very similar to edible sumac but the 
fruiting body is yellow. It grows into a large tree and has a very strong 
objectionable aroma. It seldom grows in clumps. It grows most anywhere but is 
usually found in urban environments along hedge lines or in cultivated areas 
of ground. 

Hope this helps.

Yours in Service to the Dream,

Ras