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.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Open; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate pinnately compound 16"-24" leaves with 11-31 lanceolate leaflets (2-5" long); serrate margins. Great fall color.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Green; White
Flower form
Insignificant; Panicle
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
4 to 8 in. panicles of tiny 1/4" greenish white flowers with 5 yellow to green petals in late spring early summer. Male and female flowers on separate trees.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Good winter interest; each cluster contains hairy, berry-like drupes that ripen bright red and turn dark red thorough winter. Fruits appear only on female plants.
Bark color
Light Brown; Light Gray
Bark detail
Fuzzy turning gray-brown and smooth with lenticels and becoming scaly.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Noted for the reddish-brown hairs that cover the young branchlets
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern North America
Wildlife value
Ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite quail, and wild turkey eat the fruit. Flowers provide a nectar source to native bees. Larval host plant of Luna moth and the Spring Azure Butterfly.
Attracts
Butterflies; Moths; Pollinators; Songbirds
Host plant for
Luna moth and the Spring Azure Butterfly
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer; Winter
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
The fruits are soaked in water to make a tart lemony drink from the absorbic acid found in the hairs covering the fruits.