Re: Oak leaves

["Catherine Carney" <schmidtcarney at ecr_net>]

I don't
> believe that sumacs (or poison ivy/oak) has much tannin in it at all, so
> it would not be of much use in a tank.

Actually, dried sumach leaves have between 20 and 30% tannins by weight.
They were traditionally used in fiber dyes for their tannin content, both as
a mordant and to add a brown or grey tint to some colors.

There is a poison sumach (found in swampy areas with white fruit) that I
gather is worse than poison ivy/poison oak, but the other native sumachs
(staghorn, smooth, etc) are not listed as causing an allergic reaction in
most people.

Guess I'll have to gather some sumach leaves this fall and see how they do
compared to oak leaves.

Catherine

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