Family: Anacardiaceae
Species: Rhus typhina L.
Common name: American sumac - English: Staghorn sumac
Etymology
The genus Rhus is native to North America, where it is known as “sumac.” The specific epithet typhina evokes the panicle inflorescence's vague resemblance to that of the marsh plant Tifa.
Description
Rhus typhina is a large shrub or small, dioecious, very rustic tree that can reach a maximum height of 3 metres. It has a broad crown and a thin trunk. The bark is smooth and grey-brown in colour and develops yellowish lenticels with age.
The leaves are alternate, green, and compound, consisting of 11–29 small lanceolate leaflets with pointed apices and serrated edges. They are borne on a short petiole, and the rachis is long and hairy, similar to twigs.
The male and female flowers are borne on different individuals. The male flowers consist of small, densely hairy blooms with five waxy, yellow-green petals and an equal number of darker sepals arranged alternately with the petals. The female flowers, in contrast, are rusty red and feature a very short style surmounted by three stigmas.
In late summer, the fruits appear on the same panicles as the flowers—small, reddish, hairy drupes. These fruit panicles persist on the tree for many weeks and stand out dramatically in winter when the trees are leafless. The fruit is a small drupe covered with fine hair.
Rhus typhina grows rapidly by vegetative propagation, producing dense, bushy patches.
Habitat
Rhus typhina is a native North American species that was introduced to Europe in the 17th century for ornamental purposes.
Properties and Uses
All parts of the sumac, except the roots, can be used as natural dyes and mordants.
Notes and Curiosities
This species has two striking characteristics: its red, hairy infructescence, which is a panicle structure, and its large, compound leaves (up to half a metre in length) composed of numerous toothed leaflets that, in autumn, display a range of colours from green to yellow to red.
Known by the evocative name “staghorn sumac,” these plants contribute to the phenomenon known as “Indian summer” in autumn when woods from New England to the Midwest are set aglow with gold and bright red hues.
In the Heller Botanical Garden, various ornamental specimens with light foliage and vibrant autumn colours can be admired. A notable decorative effect is achieved by the young branches, which are covered in dense, rust-coloured hair, and the panicle infructescences of the same hue that remain on the trees through winter.
Rhus typhina readily produces suckers, facilitating rapid vegetative propagation. However, it can become a potentially invasive species if left to grow spontaneously in non-native habitats such as Europe.