Family: Anacardiaceae – Sumac
family
Latin name: Rhus
typhina
Common name:
Staghorn sumac
Rhus typhina sheds its leaves in the fall, but
the fruit may remain all winter.
Rhus typhina is all about being hairy. The branches and fruit are very hairy!
In summer, the leaves are green. Greenish-yellow flowers are present
during June and July. In the fall the leaves turn a brilliant shade of red.
Staghorn sumac has alternate, compound leaves, 16 to 24 inches
long. The leaflets are sharply pointed at the tip and narrowed or rounded
at the base. The edges of the leaves are finely serrated. In summer, the leaves
of the Rhus typhina are dark green and smooth above but the undersides are
pale. The leaves turn red in the fall.
Compact clusters of greenish-yellow flowers bloom from June
to July. The male and female flowers are usually on separate plants, but some
plants have both male and female flowers. Only the female plants produce seeds.
Fruits mature from August to September and may persist through
the winter. The fruiting head is a compact cluster of round, red, hairy
fruits called drupes. Each drupe is about
¼ inch in diameter and contains one seed. There may be 100 to 700
drupes in a cluster.