Skunkbush is a low spreading deciduous shrub in the cashew family. It is found naturally in thickets and slopes of canyons and streambanks. Plant in the full or dappled sun in well-drained soil. It tolerates dry rocky soils. It is a host plant for the larvae of the Luna moth ( Actias luna ) .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry | Very Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet; 6-feet-12 feet
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf margin
Lobed; Serrate
Leaf value
Fragrant
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Small trifolate leaves that have an unpleasant skunk-like fragrance
Flower form
Panicle
Flower detail
Dioecious meaning some plants are male and some are female.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit detail
Crimson sticky berries
Stem detail
Stems are fuzzy
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
North America
Distribution
AR , AZ , CA , CO , ID , KS , MD , MT , ND , NE , NM , NV , OK , OR , SD , TX , UT , WY. Alberta, Mexico
Wildlife value
Provides food and cover for songbirds, game birds, large and small mammals. It provides structure and materials for nesting bees and the flowers are pollinated by bees. Larval host plant for the Luna moth.
Attracts
Bees; Moths; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Host plant for
Luna moth
Food & Medicine
Fruit type
Berry
Uses (ethnobotany)
Native Americans valued the plant for its astringent qualities. The fruits were eaten for stomach ailments and tooth aches and were dried and ground into a paste used to treat smallpox.