Rhus typhina
Encyclopedia
The Staghorn Sumac is a deciduous
shrub
to small tree
in the Anacardiaceae
or Cashew
family, native to eastern North America
. It is primarily found in Southeastern Canada, the Northeastern
and Midwestern United States, Southern Ontario
, and the Appalachian Mountains
.
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. The leaf petioles and the stems are densely covered in rust-colored hairs.
Staghorn sumac is dioecious, and large clumps can form with either male or female plants. 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; 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. The foliage turns a brilliant red in autumn. The fruit has been known to last through winter and into spring.
Staghorn sumac spreads by seeds, and by rhizomes to form colonies, with the oldest plants in the center, and the younger plants radiating out. It grows quite aggressively.
Some beekeepers use dried sumac bobs as a source of fuel for their smokers.
The fruit of sumacs can be collected, soaked and washed in cold water, strained, sweetened and made into a pink lemonade
. This should not be done with the related plant, poison sumac
. The leaves and berries of staghorn sumac have been mixed with tobacco
and other herbs and smoked by Native American
tribes. This practice continues to a small degree to this day.
All parts of the staghorn sumac, except the roots, can be used as both a natural dye
and as a mordant
. The plant is rich in tannins and can be added to other dye baths to improve light fastness. Harvest the leaves in the summer and the bark all year round.
The cultivar
'Laciniata', Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac, is grown in garden
s as an ornamental plant.
Image:RhusMALE297007.jpg|Male flower cluster
Image:RhusMALEdot027.jpg|Ripening drupes on June 11, 2007
Image:Staghorn sumac.jpg|Close up ripened drupes, July 2007
Image:Staghorn Sumac Rhus typhina 'Laciniata' Fruit 2000px.jpg|'Laciniata' Fruit on November 23, 2007
Image:RhusMALEdotDRY.jpg|Dried "male" flower cluster on June 22, 2007
Image:Sumac1222.jpg|Fall colors
Image:Rhus hirta typhina Mortkaute 01.jpg
Image:Rhus hirta typhina Mortkaute 02.jpg
Image:Rhus hirta typhian Mortkaute 03jpg.jpg
Image:Hesperiphona vespertina CT2.jpg|Birds sometimes feed on fruits, here an Evening Grosbeak
Image:Staghorn Sumac fruit.jpg|The fruit of Staghorn Sumac in Suncook NH.
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
to small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
in the Anacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae
Anacardiaceae are a family of flowering plants bearing fruits that are drupes and in some cases producing urushiol, an irritant. Anacardiaceae include numerous genera with several of economic importance. Notable plants in this family include cashew , mango, poison ivy, sumac, smoke tree, and marula...
or Cashew
Cashew
The cashew is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae. Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree, caju, which in turn derives from the indigenous Tupi name, acajú. It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts and cashew apples.-Etymology:The...
family, native to eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is primarily found in Southeastern Canada, the Northeastern
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
and Midwestern United States, Southern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
.
It grows to 3–10 m tall, and has alternate, pinnately compound leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
25–55 cm long, each with 9–31 serrate leaflets 6–11 cm long. The leaf petioles and the stems are densely covered in rust-colored hairs.
Staghorn sumac is dioecious, and large clumps can form with either male or female plants. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
of staghorn sumac is one of the most identifiable characteristics, forming dense clusters of small red drupes at the terminal end of the branches; 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. The foliage turns a brilliant red in autumn. The fruit has been known to last through winter and into spring.
Staghorn sumac spreads by seeds, and by rhizomes to form colonies, with the oldest plants in the center, and the younger plants radiating out. 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. Some landscapers remove all but the top branches to create a "crown" effect in order to resemble a small palm tree.Some beekeepers use dried sumac bobs as a source of fuel for their smokers.
The fruit of sumacs can be collected, soaked and washed in cold water, strained, sweetened and made into a pink lemonade
Lemonade
Lemonade is a lemon-flavored drink, typically made from lemons, water and sugar.The term can refer to three different types of beverage:...
. This should not be done with the related plant, poison sumac
Poison Sumac
Poison sumac is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 7 m tall. All parts of the plant contain a resin called urushiol that causes skin and mucous membrane irritation to humans...
. The leaves and berries of staghorn sumac have been mixed with tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
and other herbs and smoked by Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribes. This practice continues to a small degree to this day.
All parts of the staghorn sumac, except the roots, can be used as both a natural dye
Natural dye
Natural dyes are dyes or colorants derived from plants, invertebrates, or minerals. The majority of natural dyes are vegetable dyes from plant sources – roots, berries, bark, leaves, and wood — and other organic sources such as fungi and lichens....
and as a mordant
Mordant
A mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics or tissue sections by forming a coordination complex with the dye which then attaches to the fabric or tissue. It may be used for dyeing fabrics, or for intensifying stains in cell or tissue preparations. The term mordant comes from the Latin...
. The plant is rich in tannins and can be added to other dye baths to improve light fastness. Harvest the leaves in the summer and the bark all year round.
The cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
'Laciniata', Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac, is grown in garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s as an ornamental plant.
Gallery
Image:RhusMALE297007.jpg|Male flower cluster
Image:RhusMALEdot027.jpg|Ripening drupes on June 11, 2007
Image:Staghorn sumac.jpg|Close up ripened drupes, July 2007
Image:Staghorn Sumac Rhus typhina 'Laciniata' Fruit 2000px.jpg|'Laciniata' Fruit on November 23, 2007
Image:RhusMALEdotDRY.jpg|Dried "male" flower cluster on June 22, 2007
Image:Sumac1222.jpg|Fall colors
Image:Rhus hirta typhina Mortkaute 01.jpg
Image:Rhus hirta typhina Mortkaute 02.jpg
Image:Rhus hirta typhian Mortkaute 03jpg.jpg
Image:Hesperiphona vespertina CT2.jpg|Birds sometimes feed on fruits, here an Evening Grosbeak
Evening Grosbeak
The Evening Grosbeak is a large finch. In the past, it was treated in a genus of its own as Hesperiphona vespertina, but is now usually placed in the same genus as the Hawfinch of Eurasia....
Image:Staghorn Sumac fruit.jpg|The fruit of Staghorn Sumac in Suncook NH.