A Plant With Many Uses

Staghorn sumac are a broad canopied open shrub or small tree.

Colourful staghorn sumacs fill a generous border.

Red velvet seed heads contrast with colourful fall foliage.

Autumnal foliage boasts a variety of colours.

Deep red autumn foliage match the deep red seed heads.

Staghorn sumacs have slightly serrated foliage.

Cut-leaf Staghorn Sumac leaves are deeply serrated.

Common Name:  staghorn sumac
Botanical Name:  Rhus typhina
Family:  Anacardiaceae
Plant Type: deciduous shrub
Origin:  North America
Form:    upright, umbrella shaped crown
Mature Size:  10’ to 25’ x 15’ to 25’
Growth:  fast
Hardiness Zone:  3 to 8
Foliage:  bright green pinnately compound, lanceolate, up to 2’ long with 13 – 27 leaflets up to 6” long & 1.5” wide, serrated, red fall colour
Stems: immature stems covered with soft red velvet, grey mature bark
Flowers:  cone-shaped panicles, dioecious, 5 petals, not showy, greenish yellow, June, July
Seeds: showy, fuzzy edible drupe, green matures to red with black seeds in September, October
Exposure:  sun, partial shade
Soil:  well-drained, rocky, nutrient poor, soil tolerant
Water Use: low
Attracts: birds, wildlife
Invasive Tendencies: yes, suckers form thickets
Tolerates: rabbits, deer, drought, erosion, rocky shallow soil, black walnut
Uses:  winter interest, native gardens, attracts wildlife, accent, erosion control, screen
Propagation:  seed, layering, suckers
Pruning:  winter, while the plant is dormant, where gloves as their sap causes irritation
Problems:  aphids, mites, dieback, leaf spots, rust


Comments: 
Grown as a small tree or a spreading shrub, staghorn sumacs (Rhus typhina) is a North American native. It’s found along roadsides, stream embankments and on the outskirts of woodlands. Their common name, staghorn sumac, denotes the resemblance of their soft rack-like stems to a stag’s antlers.  
 
Staghorn sumacs are grown for their open airy canopy with large feather-type foliage that turns brilliant orange, red and yellow in the autumn. Their deep red young furry stems are soft and velvety and so are their ornamental fruit clusters that turn a deep red in the autumn.
 
Staghorn sumacs bear male and female flowers on separate plants, (dioecious). Female plants bears small, bright green flowers held in pyramidal 8-inch-long clusters that turn a deep velvet red as the seeds within mature. The showy ‘fruit’ persists into winter and is a source of food for wildlife.
 
Pruning & Sucker Control
Prune in winter while they are still dormant. Wear gloves as their sap is an irritant. Dig up their suckers any time of year to control their spread. Pull new ones that poke out of the ground as soon as they emerge. To stop them from forming a thicket, place a root barrier 18 to 24 inches deep so only 2 inches protrudes above the ground.
 
Harvesting Their Edible Fruit
Staghorn sumac’s deep red conical seed head is edible and is a traditional medicine and herbal remedy used by indigenous people.
To harvest their velvety red conical seed pods, do so before it rains for a more intense flavour, preferably in August. Birds feasting on the berries is a good indicator that the berries are ripe. To eat the fuzzy berries, suck out the juice and spit out the rest. Their berries are used to make tea and a drink that tastes similar to lemonade. Soak the red berries in warm water, strain, and add a sweetener. To make mulled sumac, add boiling water with cinnamon and cloves. Strain and serve while it’s still hot. A popular Eastern seasoning, Zatar, uses sumac as their main ingredient. Serve with meat, olive oil and bread.
 
Cultivar
Cut-leaf Staghorn Sumac: Rhus typhina ‘Dissecta’, 9’ to 15’, open umbrella crown deer antler like fuzzy stems, leaves are deeply dissected and up to 2 feet long, orange, yellow red. Spreads aggressively by root suckers.

Staghorn sumacs produce suckers.

Immature stems have a velvet texture.

A large sumac thicket in the winter at VanDusen Botanical Garden.

Their red velvety seed heads are edible.