staghorn sumac
Rhus typhina
The velvety hair on its young branches closely resembles the velvet on a stag's developing antlers, giving the plant its common name.
- Scientific name
- Rhus typhina
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Sapindales › Anacardiaceae › Rhus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Forest edges, disturbed soils, roadsides, and old fields
- Diet
- Autotrophic (Photosynthesis)
- Range
- Eastern North America, Northeastern United States, Southeastern Canada
- Size
- 3 to 10 meters (10 to 33 feet) tall
- Lifespan
- 30-50 years (clonal colonies can persist much longer)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Displacement by highly aggressive invasive woody plants and extreme land clearing.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Easily distinguished from toxic sumacs by its fuzzy, reddish branches and upright crimson fruit cones. Safe to touch, but individuals with extreme cashew allergies should exercise caution. The tart berries can be used to brew a refreshing, lemon-like tea.
Rhus typhina , the staghorn sumac , is a species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae, native to eastern North America. It is primarily found in southeastern Canada, the northeastern and midwestern United States and the Appalachian Mountains, but is widely cultivated as an ornamental throughout the temperate world.
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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