Sugar bush (Rhus ovata) can be as tall as 30 feet high, but usually appears as an eight feet bush. The leaves are evergreen, oval and smooth edged. The small white or pink flowers grow in irregular clusters. The fruits are round, and flat. It is reported to smell like sugar. However, the fruit can be bitter. A tea was made from the leaves for colds and other repiratory infections. An infusion was also used to facilitate childbirth. Berries were eaten or made into a sweet drink.