staghorn sumac

(Rhus typhina)

Conservation Status
staghorn sumac
Photo by Luciearl
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Staghorn sumac is a fast-growing, 4 to 15 tall shrub or, rarely, small tree. It rises on a single trunk from long-creeping branched rhizomes. In Minnesota mature plants are usually 4 to 15 tall and 2 to 4 in diameter. Large individuals can reach over 32 in height and 8 in diameter. It often forms dense colonies with the oldest and tallest individuals in the center surrounded by progressively younger and shorter individuals. It is a short-lived tree, usually surviving no more than 50 years.

The trunk is forked and occasionally branched. The crown is open, irregular, and rounded or flat-topped.

The bark on young parts is thin, smooth, and dark brown to yellowish-brown with prominent lenticels. As it ages it becomes slightly scaly.

The upper branchlets are densely covered with with short, brown, hairs. The lower trunk and branches are hairless and woody. In winter the leafless, velvety branches have the appearance of antlers on a buck deer, giving the plant its common name.

The twigs are very stout, tan to slightly reddish, and densely hairy. Older branches have prominent lenticels, while younger branches and twigs do not. When broken the branches exude a yellowish sap.

There is no terminal bud—the branches end in a cluster of fruits or a dead stub. The lateral buds are cone-shaped, 3 16 to ¼ long, and covered with pale brown, velvety hairs. The leaf scar is crescent or horse-shoe shaped and has 3 bundle scars. The leaf scar almost completely surrounds the bud.

The leaves are deciduous, alternate, and pinnately compound. They are 12 to 24 long and are divided into 11 to 31 leaflets. They are on 1¼ to 4 long, densely woolly or felty leaf stalks. The central stalk of the leaf to which the leaflets are attached is slightly reddish and densely hairy and is not winged.

The leaflets are stalkless or on very short stalks. They are arranged in opposite or slightly alternate pairs with 1 terminal leaflet. They are lance-shaped, 2 to 4¾ long, and ¾ to 1¾ wide. They are rounded or slightly heart-shaped at the base and taper to a long point at the tip. The upper surface is dark green and nearly hairless. The lower surface is pale green to sometimes nearly white, moderately to densely hairy along the veins, and covered with a whitish, waxy coating (glaucous). The margins have fine, sharp, forward-pointing teeth or are rarely pinnately lobed. In autumn the leaves turn bright orange, red, or purple.

Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. The inflorescence is a dense, erect, 2¾ to 10 long, 1½ to 2 wide, branched cluster (panicle) at the end of many of the branchlets. Each panicle is made up of 100 to 700 flowers. Female panicles are more compact than male panicles.

The flowers are tiny and yellowish-green. They appear in early June to mid-July after the leaves are fully developed.

The fruit is fleshy and surrounds a single seed (drupe). It is dark red, to 3 16 long and wide, and covered with bright red, needle-like hairs. They are held in dense, upright clusters. They ripen from August to September and persist for most of the winter.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

4 to 15

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Yellowish-green

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
  Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) branches, twigs, and rachis are hairless. The drupes are hairless but densely covered with short, nipple-like bumps.  
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry. Abandoned fields, forest edges, thickets, roadsides. Full sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

Early June to mid-July

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 24, 28, 30.

 
  10/3/2021      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Subclass Rosidae  
  Superorder Rosanae  
 

Order

Sapindales (soapberries, cashews, mahoganies, and allies)  
 

Family

Anacardiaceae (cashew)  
  Subfamily Anacardioideae (cashews, sumacs, and allies)  
 

Genus

Rhus (sumacs)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Datisca hirta

Rhus hirta

Rhus typhina var. laciniata

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

staghorn sumac

sumac

Velvet sumac

vinegar tree

Virginia sumac

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Bundle scar

Tiny raised area within a leaf scar, formed from the broken end of a vascular bundle.

 

Drupe

A fleshy fruit with a single hard, stone-like core, like a cherry or peach.

 

Glaucous

Pale green or bluish gray due to a whitish, powdery or waxy film, as on a plum or a grape.

 

Lenticel

A corky, round or stripe-like, usually raised, pore-like opening in bark that allows for gas exchange.

 

Panicle

A pyramidal inflorescence with a main stem and branches. Flowers on the lower, longer branches mature earlier than those on the shorter, upper ones.

 

Pinnate

On a compound leaf, having the leaflets arranged on opposite sides of a common stalk. On a bryophyte, having branches evenly arranged on opposite sides of a stem.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Winged leaf stalk

A leaf stalk with a leaf-like or membrane-like extension along both sides.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

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Alfredo Colon

 
    staghorn sumac      
           
    staghorn sumac   staghorn sumac  
 

Dan W. Andree

 
 

Autumn Sumac...

 
    staghorn sumac      
 

Luciearl

 
    staghorn sumac      
 

Randy

 
 

Staghorn sumac as a foundation planting, December 2016, Freeborn County, MN

 
    staghorn sumac   staghorn sumac  
           
    staghorn sumac   staghorn sumac  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Habitat

 
    staghorn sumac      
           
 

Plant

 
    staghorn sumac   staghorn sumac  
           
 

Leaf

 
    staghorn sumac      
           
 

Stem

 
    staghorn sumac      
           
 

Infructescence

 
    staghorn sumac   staghorn sumac  
           
 

Fall

 
    staghorn sumac      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Staghorn Sumac
Wez Smith
 
  Staghorn Sumac  
 
About

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina).

 
  Rhus typhina
Blake C. Willson
 
  Rhus typhina  
 
About

Staghorn Sumac

 
  Rhus typhina
Angie Holmberg
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 31, 2014

Description

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

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Other Videos
 
  Rhus typhina
wander van laar
 
   
 
About

Published on Feb 27, 2014

 

   
  Staghorn sumac (rhus typhina) identification video
wvoutdoorman
 
   
 
About

Published on Jul 22, 2013

Staghorn sumac (rhus typhina) identification video

   
  Plants To Know: Staghorn Sumac
EverydayTacticalVids
 
   
 
About

Published on Aug 14, 2014

In our "Plants to Know" series, we are looking at a variety of common plants, medicinal plants, edible plants, and even invasive plants. These short videos will offer you some info on plants that are worth knowing. Staghorn sumac offers a delicious, refreshing drink when you make a lemonade-like beverage from the berries. It's simple to do and these plants are found all over the place.

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Alfredo Colon
8/21/2022

Location: Albany, NY

staghorn sumac  
  Alfredo Colon
8/16/2022

Location: Albany, NY

staghorn sumac  
  Alfredo Colon
8/3/2022

Location: Albany, NY

staghorn sumac  
  Dan W. Andree
9/30/2021

Location: Frenchman’s Bluff SNA

Autumn Sumac...

staghorn sumac  
  Luciearl
7/24/2020

Location: Cass County

staghorn sumac  
  Randy
December, 2016

Location: Freeborn County, MN

Staghorn sumac as a foundation planting

staghorn sumac  
           
 
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