Staghorn Sumac

Rhus typhina

Staghorn Sumac is the largest native Sumac, an open-spreading deciduous shrub and is noted for its brown hairs on young branches.  Large bright green toothed pinnate foliage with glaucous undersides turns attractive shades of yellow, orange, and red in fall.  The plants are dioecious, with tiny greenish-yellow flowers panicles in late spring to early summer.  Female flowers are followed by tight clusters of hairy maroon-brown berries that persist into winter.  Best performance with dry to medium well-drained acidic soils. 

Rhus typhina is a host plant for the Luna Moth and Spring Azure Butterfly.

MAINTENANCE NEEDS:  High maintenance plant.  Tolerant of most soils, except poorly drained ones.  No serious pests or diseases, but some susceptibility to leaf spot, rusts, powdery mildew, blights, and cankers.   Scale and aphids can occure.  Watch for mites.  Can spread aggressively.

LANDSCAPE USES:  Accents or Group Plantings,  Borders,  Naturalized Areas,  Woodland Garden,  Rock Garden, Foundation Plantings, and containers. 

COMPANION PLANTS:  Aster,  Blue Mist Spirea,  Coneflower

IMAGES:  Brosen,  Brosen rhus typhina3,  CC BY-SA 3.0, (2) Photo by  Plant Image Library,  Rhus typhina (Staghorn Sumac), (3)  Gmihail at  Serbian Wikipedia,  Rhus typhina habitus,  CC BY-SA 3.0 RS

*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.