(Rhus copallinum)
The Sumac Family (Anacardiaceae)
Large, deciduous shrub or small tree, with short, crooked trunk and open branching canopy. Bark smooth and papery, gray with gashes exposing a reddish color beneath. Glossy, dark-green, alternately arranged leaves with 7-17 leaflets turning reddish-purple in the fall.
Habitat:
Well drained bottomland areas.
Interesting Facts:
Sour fruit can be nibbled or made into a lemonade-like drink. Bark and leaves rich in tannins used to tan leather and make dyes.
Fruit:
Bright red drupes (fruit) covered with sticky hairs develop on the panicle in fall and turn black in winter.
Flower:
Many small greenish-yellow male and female flowers appear on the same plant in a tight cluster (a panicle) about 5-7” long in late summer.
Wildlife value:
Attracts many native bees, honey bees and predatory insects. Winter food for many upland game birds such as wild turkey and songbirds; as well as for mammals like deer and rabbits.
Flowers
Fruit
Leaf type:
Compound
Pollinator:
Wildlife value:
Tree dimensions:
Leaf length: 5.00-12.00 inches
Tree height: 20.00-35.00 feet
Where to find Winged Sumac on the Louisiana State Arboretum Trails:
WET - Wetland Trail 16.0
BBR - Backbone Ridge Trail 9.0
Refer to our Live Map to locate this species and its interpretative signage on the trail system.