# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/653780b3-ed71-4097-a10e-e06bd9af4e2d
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/167829
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhus typhina
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/591091776/medium.jpg (Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.