Image above sourced from iStock Photo.
Common Name: Staghorn Sumac
Type: Deciduous shrub
Zone: 3 to 8
Height: 15.00 to 25.00 feet
Spread: 20.00 to 30.00 feet
Bloom Time: June to July
Bloom Description: Greenish-yellow
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Dry to medium
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Good Fall
Attracts: Birds
Fruit: Showy
Other: Winter Interest
Tolerate: Rabbit, Drought, Erosion, Dry Soil, Shallow-Rocky Soil, Black Walnut
Information sourced from Missouri Botanical Garden
About Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) is a native deciduous shrub or small tree found throughout eastern North America.
Known for its dramatic red fall foliage and unique velvety stems resembling the antlers of a stag, this plant adds bold structure and year-round interest to landscapes.
In addition to its ornamental qualities, Staghorn Sumac supports local ecosystems by providing food and habitat for birds and pollinators. It is especially valued in ecological restoration and naturalistic garden designs due to its resilience and adaptability.
Botanical Characteristics
Staghorn Sumac typically grows between 15 to 25 feet tall with a similar spread, forming colonies through underground suckers. Its pinnately compound leaves can grow up to 2 feet long, giving it a tropical appearance, while its fuzzy stems add visual texture. In late summer, female plants produce upright clusters of deep red, fuzzy fruit that persist through winter. These fruit clusters, known as drupes, are a key food source for birds during colder months.
Environmental Adaptability
Rhus typhina is highly adaptable to various soil types and environmental conditions, thriving in dry, rocky, or poor soils where many other plants struggle. It prefers full sun but can tolerate light shade, and once established, it is extremely drought-tolerant. This plant is cold-hardy (USDA zones 3–8) and is often used in challenging environments such as slopes, roadsides, and disturbed lands. Its ability to stabilize soil makes it a reliable choice for erosion control and ecological restoration.
Applications in Landscape Design
Staghorn Sumac’s unique form, vibrant color, and tough constitution make it a versatile plant for use in both formal and informal landscape settings. It can be used as a bold focal point, a naturalistic border, or a multi-stemmed specimen in large beds or meadows. Designers value it for its seasonal interest, wildlife value, and capacity to naturalize in broader planting schemes. With careful planning, it integrates beautifully into landscapes focused on native planting, biodiversity, and low-maintenance care.
Focal Point in Planting Beds
Staghorn Sumac’s dramatic architecture and brilliant fall color make it an ideal specimen plant. When planted as a single clump or small grove, it can anchor a perennial border or mixed shrub bed. Its textural contrast with fine grasses or delicate perennials draws attention throughout the year.
Naturalized Groupings and Mass Plantings
Due to its suckering habit, sumac thrives when planted in masses along open fields, embankments, or meadows. These groupings create visual rhythm and seasonal drama, especially when paired with native grasses and wildflowers. Massing also enhances its ecological impact by supporting bird and insect populations.
Erosion Control on Slopes
Staghorn Sumac is an excellent plant for stabilizing steep or eroded slopes. Its wide-spreading root system helps hold soil in place, making it suitable for erosion-prone areas. When planted with other ground-hugging natives, it forms a resilient, layered planting.
Wildlife Gardens and Pollinator Habitats
The fruit of Rhus typhina attracts a variety of bird species, including robins and cedar waxwings. Its flowers also support bees and beneficial insects. Including Staghorn Sumac in wildlife gardens creates year-round food sources and shelter for local fauna.
Visual Transition in Woodland Edges
Planted along the edge of woodland areas, Staghorn Sumac acts as a transition between taller trees and low understory vegetation. Its open form allows filtered light and creates layered visual depth. This positioning also helps reduce visual barriers in naturalized plantings.
Garden Design Styles Featuring Staghorn Sumac
Staghorn Sumac is a favorite among designers working in garden styles that prioritize texture, seasonal change, and ecological performance. Its unique shape, resilience, and vibrant autumn color allow it to fit a range of aesthetics—from wild and expressive to structured and modern. Below are several garden styles where Rhus typhina thrives.
Native Plant Gardens
- Highlights indigenous plant species
- Encourages biodiversity and sustainability
- Complements other native shrubs and perennials like Echinacea and Little Bluestem
Prairie-Style Plantings
- Mimics open meadow or grassland ecosystems
- Uses repetition and soft drifts of plants
- Works well with grasses like Panicum virgatum and perennials like Rudbeckia
Wildlife and Pollinator Gardens
- Designed to attract birds, bees, and butterflies
- Includes nectar-rich flowers and fruiting plants
- Rhus typhina provides year-round value as food and shelter
New American Garden
- Emphasizes native and ornamental grasses with dramatic plant combinations
- Utilizes architectural plants with bold forms
- Sumac’s sculptural silhouette and color enhance visual interest
Modern Naturalistic Landscapes
- Blends wild planting schemes with minimalist hardscapes
- Focuses on texture, form, and seasonal variation
- Pairs well with steel edging, gravel paths, and mass-planted perennials
Rain Gardens and Stormwater Management Areas
- Designed to manage runoff and promote infiltration
- Often uses moisture-tolerant native plants
- Sumac adapts well to upper slopes of rain gardens or as a visual anchor
Why Staghorn Sumac is Beneficial to Landscapes
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) offers more than just striking visual appeal—it plays a valuable role in creating healthy, resilient landscapes.
Its combination of seasonal beauty, ecological contributions, and rugged adaptability makes it a go-to plant for designers seeking both function and aesthetics.
Whether stabilizing soil on a slope, supporting wildlife, or adding bold structure to a planting scheme, this native shrub delivers benefits that extend well beyond the ornamental.
Below are several key reasons why Staghorn Sumac is a smart and sustainable choice in modern landscape design.
Provides Multi-Season Interest
Few plants offer the year-round appeal that Staghorn Sumac does. In spring, its emerging foliage and fuzzy stems offer texture and intrigue. Summer brings feathery green leaves, followed by brilliant scarlet and orange fall colors. The vibrant red seed heads persist into winter, offering sculptural form and bird food.
Enhances Ecological Diversity
As a native plant, Rhus typhina supports many beneficial insects, birds, and other wildlife. It contributes to the restoration of degraded sites and helps reestablish ecological balance in suburban and rural landscapes. Its fruit, flowers, and form make it a cornerstone of native-based design.
Offers Low-Maintenance Solutions
Staghorn Sumac requires little attention once established. It tolerates drought, poor soils, and urban conditions, making it ideal for low-input landscapes. Its ability to thrive without chemical inputs or irrigation makes it well-suited to sustainable garden practices.
Is Staghorn Sumac Poisonous?
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) is not poisonous and is often confused with Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix), a completely different plant.
In fact, the red fruit of Rhus typhina has been traditionally used to make a tart, vitamin C-rich beverage known as “sumac-ade” or “Indian lemonade.” Its fuzzy red seed heads are not harmful and can be safely handled, though some individuals with plant sensitivities should wear gloves when pruning or cutting.
Alternate to Staghorn Sumac
Tiger Eyes™ Sumac (Rhus typhina ‘Bailtiger’) is a stunning golden-leaved cultivar of the native Staghorn Sumac, offering a more compact, ornamental version of its wild cousin. This cultivar is prized for its finely dissected, chartreuse foliage that matures to bright golden-yellow and then transitions to fiery oranges and scarlets in fall. Its dramatic coloration and elegant form make it a standout choice for garden focal points or mixed borders.
Unlike the standard Staghorn Sumac, Tiger Eyes™ grows in a more manageable size—typically reaching 4 to 6 feet tall and wide—making it well-suited for smaller residential gardens or container plantings. The branches maintain the distinctive fuzzy texture, and its umbrella-like structure creates visual interest throughout the seasons. In late summer, red, cone-shaped fruit clusters may appear on female plants, adding contrast to the golden foliage.
This cultivar is a favorite among landscape architects and home gardeners alike for introducing bold texture, dramatic color, and structural elegance. It pairs beautifully with purples, deep greens, and fine-textured plants such as ornamental grasses and dark-leaved shrubs. Tiger Eyes™ Sumac is a prime example of how native plant genetics can be refined into extraordinary ornamental selections without losing ecological value.
