Staghorn Sumac
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Deciduous Shrub
Size Sold: 1-0, 12-18 inches
Other Names: Velvet Sumac
Native to the U.S.
COLDEST USDA Cold Hardiness Zone Where Species Typically Survives: 4
Range: Eastern Quebec to Minnesota, south to South Carolina, Alabama, Illinois, and Iowa
Typical Mature Height: up to 25 feet
Light Requirement: partial shade
Soils: dry, rocky, gravelly soils
Habitat: dry uplands, old fields, and forest edges
Flower Color: red, yellow, green
Fruit: red, fuzzy, drupes forming dense, cone-shaped clusters
Bloom Time: summer
Wildlife Value: the berries (they can persist into the winter thus providing a food source when other sources are scarce) are a preferred food source for numerous native wildlife species, including ruffed grouse, eastern phoebe, American crow, northern mockingbird, gray catbird, American robin, wood thrush, hermit thrush, eastern bluebird; special value to native bees and honey bees
Uses: often planted as an ornamental shrub; berries can be used to make tea; historically, the fruit, bark and leaves were used to tan hides, and the leaves and fruits were boiled to make black ink
Photo by Robert Vidéki, Doronicum Kft., Bugwood.org
More Information: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=RHTY