This plant is a tall, wide woody shrub to small tree that ranges in height from 2–10 m (6.6–32.8 ft) with a rounded appearance.

[1][2]The flowers are small, less than 1 cm wide, composed of 5 white to pink petals and 5 reddish sepals with ciliate margins.

Lemonade sumac tends to occur with a more western distribution along the coast and on islands, while sugar bush is typically found more inland and to the east, with both intergrading where they meet.

[1][2][3] The two species diverged roughly 3 million years ago, and had several period of expanding and contracting distributions, with fossils being found as far north as Nevada.

The low fertility rate of hybrids indicates that they have a loss of fitness from their parents, suggesting that there is some incompatibility between the two species.

[1] The sugar bush is primarily located in inland localities, as it grades into its relative, the lemonade sumac, near the coast.

It may be found throughout the inland mountains and foothills of Southern California, continuing southward through the Peninsular Ranges of San Diego County into northern Baja California, in the foothills and mountains of the Sierra de Juarez and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir.

They are drought-tolerant plants, and even occur along the edges of the Colorado Desert in the eastern foothills of the Peninsular Ranges.

Some rodents, like the dusky-footed woodrat, will strip and consume the bark of the plant, leaving entire branches bare.

There are unconfirmed reports that Rhus ovata contains urushiol, the chemical irritant in plants such as poison ivy.

[10] Rhus plants have been confirmed to contain flavones, cardanols, bichalcones, chemicals which may have antimicrobial properties,[11][12][13] and high concentrations of R. ovata extract have been proven to have antibacterial properties that impede the growth of gram-positive bacteria like Staphylococcus, but not gram-negative bacteria like E. coli or fungi.

Alternatively, fruits would be made into a tangy drink, using the sugar that forms on the skin, creating a concoction with a sweet and sour taste, similar to lemonade.

[16][17] Rhus ovata prefers well-drained soil in a sunny location, with little water once established, being a very drought-tolerant plant.

It does not respond to formal boxed pruning well; however, as needed for wildfire fuel reduction or rejuvenation, occasional autumnal cutting, down to above the base crown, is done for new basal sprouting.