Rhus typhina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rhus typhina | |
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| Staghorn sumac | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Anacardiaceae |
| Genus: | Rhus |
| Species: | R. typhina |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhus typhina L. |
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Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina, synonym: R. hirta), is a deciduous shrub to small tree in the Anacardiaceae or Cashew family, native to eastern North America. It is primarily found in Southeastern Canada, the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, Southern Ontario, and the Appalachian Mountains. [1]
It grows to 3-10 m tall, and has alternate, pinnately compound leaves 25-55 cm long, each with 9-31 serrate leaflets 6-11 cm long.[2] The leaf petioles and the stems are densely covered in rust-colored hairs.
Staghorn sumac is dioecious, and large clumps can form with either male or female plants.[3] The fruit of staghorn sumac is one of the most identifiable characteristics, forming dense clusters of small red drupes at the terminal end of the branches[2]; the clusters are conic, 10-20 cm long and 4-6 cm broad at the base. The plant flowers from May to July and fruit ripens from June to September. [4] The foliage turns a brilliant red in autumn. The fruit has been known to last through winter and into spring.
Staghorn sumac spreads using its seeds, and by spreading rhizomes. This makes it so the tree forms colonies, with the oldest plants in the center, and the younger plants radiating out.[2] It grows quite aggressively.
Rhus typhina is a weed in parts of Australia although often confused with Tree of Heaven.
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[edit] Cultivation and uses
Staghorn sumac grows in gardens, lawns, the edges of forests, and wasteland. It can grow under a wide array of conditions, but is most often found in dry and poor soil on which other plants cannot survive.[2] Some landscapers remove all but the top branches to create a "crown" effect in order to resemble a small palm tree.
The fruit of sumacs can be collected, soaked and washed in cold water, strained, sweetened and made into a pink lemonade.[5] This should not be done with the related plant, poison sumac. The leaves and berries of staghorn sumac have been mixed with tobacco and other herbs and smoked by Native American tribes.[6] This practice continues to a small degree to this day.
All parts of the staghorn sumac, except the roots, can be used as both a natural dye and as a mordant. The plant is rich in tannins and can be added to other dye baths to improve light fastness. Harvest the leaves in the summer and the bark all year round.[7]
The cultivar 'Laciniata', Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac, is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant.[8]
[edit] Gallery
 Male flower cluster |
 Ripening drupes on June 11, 2007 |
 Close up ripened drupes, July 2007 |
 'Laciniata' Fruit on November 23, 2007 |
 Dried "male" flower cluster on June 22, 2007 |
 Fall colors |
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 Rhus Typhina growing as a weed in Australia. |
[edit] References
- ^ United States Geological Survey: "Rhus Typhina Range Map" accessed 2008-03-02
- ^ a b c d Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal and Joseph M. Ditomaso, Weeds of The Northeast, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997), P. 326-327.
- ^ Sullivan, Janet. 1994. Rhus typhina. In: Fire Effects Information System (Online). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory.
- ^ USDA Forest Service: Woody Plant Seed Manual: Rhus.
- ^ Lee Allen Peterson, Edible Wild Plants, (New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977), P. 186.
- ^ Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People: The People of the White Pines: Smoking and Pipes
- ^ Jenny Dean, Wild Color: The Complete Guide to Making and Using Natural Dyes, (New York City: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1999), P. 123.
- ^ Cutleaf Staghorn Sumac
[edit] External links
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Rhus typhina.
- Bioimages: Rhus typhina (as R. hirta).
- Photographs and descriptions of plants of Missouri. Rhus typhina.
- North Woods wiki. Rhus typhina.
- Brian Johnston. A Close-up View of the Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina). Microscopy—UK.
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