Rhus typhina

Staghorn sumac is a native deciduous shrub or tree in the Anacardiaceae (cashew) family.  This plant form thickets in the wild via self-seeding and root suckering. It is native to woodland edges, roadsides, railroad embankments and stream or swamp margins from Quebec to Ontario to Minnesota south to Georgia, Indiana, and Iowa.  It naturally occurs in the western part of North Carolina.   It is particularly noted for the reddish-brown hairs that cover the young branchlets in somewhat the same way that velvet covers the horns of a stag (male deer), hence the common name.

Rejuvinate leggy plants by cutting it to the ground every few years.  It is not poisonous though it can be weedy spreading by suckers to form colonies.

Growing up to 25' feet tall and about as wide it has a spreading habit.  Medium green compound leaves turn attractive shades of scarlet, yellow, and orange, in the fall.   Showy white blooms appear in the spring and summer and are followed by equally showy red berries making this a tree with year-round intrest.

Easily grown in a wide range of soils as long as they are well-drained, and full sun to part shade. Tolerant of a wide range of soils except for those that are poorly drained. Generally tolerant of urban conditions and drought.

This plant is a larval host plant for both the Luna moth (Actias luna) and the Spring Azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon), attracts pollinators and the deep red berries are a welcome fall and winter food source for songbirds making this tree an excellent addition to a wildlife or woodland garden.  Because of its suckering roots its is a candidate for erosion control.

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: May spread aggressively through root suckers.