Rhus typhina

Staghorn Sumac
Anacardiaceae
Deciduous, Shrubs, Trees

RHUS

Of the ornamental sumacs, deciduous kinds are extremely hardy to cold; they are noted for brilliant fall leaf color and, on female plants, showy clusters of (usually) red fruits that attract birds. They tend to produce suckers, especially if their roots are disturbed by cultivation.

Evergreen species are less hardy.

All sumac species thrive in almost any soil, as long as drainage is good (soggy soils can kill them). Poison oak and poison ivy were once members of the genus Rhus, but they have been reclassified as Toxicodendron.

Rhus typhina

Native to eastern North America, this upright grower reaches 15 to 30 ft. tall, spreading much wider by suckers. Very similar to the species Rhus glabra, but the branches have a velvety coat of short brown hairs—much like antlers of a deer “in velvet.” Leaves are divided into 11–31 toothed, 5-in.-long leaflets; foliage is deep green above, grayish beneath, turns yellow orange to rich red in fall. Blooms in early summer, bearing 4 to 8-in.-long clusters of tiny greenish blossoms followed by clusters of fuzzy crimson fruits that hang on all winter, gradually turning brown.