Rhus typhina
Common name: 
Staghorn Sumac
Pronunciation: 
roos ti-FEE-na
Family: 
Anacardiaceae
Genus: 
Rhus
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous shrub/tree, 15-20 ft (4.5-6 m), open spreading, picturesque.   New growth, stout velvety stems (the "staghorn").  Stem thick and pubescent, generally lacks terminal bud.  Lateral buds nearly surrounded by C-shaped leaf scars.   Leaves alternate, compound (pinnate), 30-60 cm long, 13-27 leaflets, each 5-13 cm long, serrated, pointed.  Summer foliage dark green, but yellow-orange and scarlet in fall.   Dioecious - male and female plants, fruit closely packed in a dense hairy panicle.
  • Sun.  Prefers well drained soil.  Tolerates dry soil.  Rejuvenate by cutting to the ground.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 3      Native range from Quebec to Ontario, south to Georgia, Indiana, and Iowa.
  • A popular selection used in landscaping is the "cut-leaflet" cultivar, 'Laciniata'.
  • Oregon State Univ. campus: east end of Dearborn Hall in the "courtyard" parking lot, off Monroe Ave.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit, summer

    plant habit, summer

  • leaves

    leaves

  • stem, velvety new growth

    stem, velvety new growth

  • flower cluster and leaves, summer

    flower cluster and leaves, summer

  • leaves and fruit, early fall

    leaves and fruit, early fall

  • plant habit, fall

    plant habit, fall

  • in habitat, fall

    in habitat, fall

  • leaves and fruit, fall

    leaves and fruit, fall

  • leaflets, fall

    leaflets, fall

  • fruit clusters, winter

    fruit clusters, winter

  • fruit

    fruit

  • trunk, bark

    trunk, bark