Rhus typhina

From Gardenology.org - Plant Encyclopedia and Gardening Wiki
Revision as of 13:54, 3 August 2007 by Envoy (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigationJump to search
Rhus typhina
Staghorn sumac
Staghorn sumac
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Rhus
Species: R. typhina

Binomial name
Rhus typhina
L.

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina, synonym: R. hirta), is a deciduous shrub to small tree in the Anacardiaceae or Cashew family, native to eastern North America, from Ontario and Quebec south to northern Georgia and Mississippi [1].

It grows to 3-10 m tall, and has alternate, pinnately compound leaves 25-55 cm long, each with 9-31 serrate leaflets 6-11 cm long [2]. The leaf petioles and the stems are densely covered in rust-colored hairs.

The fruit of staghorn sumac is one of the most identifiable characteristics, forming dense clusters of small red drupes at the terminal end of the branches [2]; the clusters are conic, 10-20 cm long and 4-6 cm broad at the base. The plant flowers from May to July and fruit ripens from June to September. [1] The foliage turns a brilliant red in autumn. Sumacs are considered some of the best fall foliage around. The fruit has been known to last through winter and into spring.

Staghorn sumac spreads using its seeds, and by spreading rhizomes. This makes it so the tree forms colonies, with the oldest plants in the center, and the younger plants radiating out [2]. It grows quite aggressively.

Cultivation and uses

Staghorn sumac grows in gardens, lawns, the edges of forests, and wasteland. It can grow under a wide array of conditions, but is most often found in dry and poor soil on which other plants cannot survive [2].

The fruit of sumacs can be collected, soaked and washed in cold water, strained, sweetened and made into a good pink lemonade [3]. The leaves and berries of staghorn sumac have been mixed with tobacco and other herbs and smoked by Native American tribes [4]. This practice continues to a small degree to this day [4].

The cultivar 'Laciniata', Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac, is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant.

Photographs

References

Template:Commons Template:Wikispecies

  • Forest Service Handbook Number 450 Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States